New rules would protect patients from aggressive hospital debt collection and offer relief.
This bill would set new rules for how hospitals handle financial aid and medical debt. It would protect patients from aggressive collection tactics like wage garnishment and home liens. It also sets aside $100 million for a program to help eligible people pay off their medical debt.
Today, hospitals in Medicare do not have federal rules about how they offer financial aid or collect medical debt. There is also no federal program to help pay off medical debt. If this bill becomes law, hospitals would have to follow strict rules for financial aid and debt collection, including bans on home liens and wage garnishment. Also, $100,000,000 would be set aside to help a nonprofit pay off medical debt for eligible people.
HR 7478 · 119th Congress · February 10, 2026 · AI Summary by gemini-2.5-flash · 8/10
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Amounts reflect total quarterly lobbying spend reported to the Senate, not bill-specific spending. Source: Senate LDA filings.