The Medical Debt Protection Act of 2021 (HB 565) has officially passed out of the Maryland General Assembly, and it’s now up to Governor Larry Hogan to sign this bill into law.

Send Gov. Hogan a letter today and urge him to take action to protect Marylanders from predatory hospital debt collection practices!

Here’s what the bill does:

• Prohibits hospitals from placing liens on patients’ homes because they have outstanding medical debt

• Prohibits hospitals from garnishing the wages of patients who qualify for free or reduced-cost medical care

• Provides guidelines for income-based hospital payment plans so patients can pay their bills in manageable portions

• Requires hospitals to report certain aspects of their debt collection practices to the Health Services Cost Review Commission

And here’s what else you need to know:

• The bill received bipartisan, unanimous support in both chambers. This means that every single legislator in the General Assembly agrees that this bill, quite simply, makes sense.

• Governor Hogan has 30 days to sign the bill or veto the bill. If he chooses to take neither action, the bill defaults into law. We want Governor Hogan to sign, however, as a symbolic affirmation that Maryland patients deserve protections from predatory debt collection practices by our state’s non-profit hospitals.

Simply fill out the form to the right to get started. We’ve prepared a template letter for you, and your letter will be automatically sent to Governor Hogan.