By Maanasa Kona, Sabrina Corlette, and Zeynep Celik
An increasing number of states have enacted laws designed to protect patients from medical debt. These recent reforms establish strong foundational safeguards, such as requiring hospitals to offer financial assistance and placing limits on certain aggressive collection tactics. Yet, many of these efforts are undermined by substantive gaps in the protections, procedural burdens, and inadequate enforcement. In a newly published issue brief for the Commonwealth Fund, CHIR’s Maanasa Kona, Sabrina Corlette, and Zeynep Celik identify where current state legislation is falling short and detail how policymakers can build on recent reforms to create more effective protections for consumers.
You can read the full issue brief here.
