Summers’ bill to protect Hoosiers in medical debt heard in committee

Today, Jan. 13, House Bill 1051 was heard in the House Financial Institutions Committee. Authored by State Rep. Vanessa Summers (D-Indianapolis), the bill would prohibit health care providers from reporting an individual's medical debt to a consumer reporting agency. This would protect Hoosiers from having their credit score impacted by medical debt and is a piece of priority legislation in the Indiana House Democratic Caucus' Working Hoosiers Agenda.

Summers issued the following statement following the committee hearing:

"About one in five Hoosiers have medical debt, with roughly $2.2 billion worth of money owed throughout the state. No one wants to think about it, but a medical emergency could happen to anyone at any time. When you or a family member needs medical care, treating the issue and healing should be your only concern. Hoosiers should not have to worry about their credit score being impacted due to a health issue. A hit on your credit score can take years to overcome, and can bar an individual from receiving loans, impact your housing options and lead to higher insurance premiums. This bill is the first step in making sure that Hoosiers will not be punished for needing medical care. I look forward to furthering these conversations, as well as working to reduce the overall cost of medical care, throughout the remainder of session."