|
|
6/24/2025
|
General Assembly prohibits medical debt home liens
|
STATE HOUSE – The General Assembly has approved legislation sponsored by Sen. Jacob E. Bissaillon and Rep. Mary Ann Shallcross Smith to prohibit the attachment of liens against Rhode Islanders’ homes because of medical debt. The bill now goes to the governor.
The measure was included in the legislative package backed by Senate leadership this year to remove burdensome administrative requirements that present barriers to patient care, protect patients from crushing medical debt, improve access and lower costs.
The bill (2025-H 5184A, 2025-S 0169A), which takes effect Jan. 1, protects those struggling with medical debt from losing their home as a result. The protection would apply to the person’s principal residence.
“Rhode Island is facing a health care crisis and a housing crisis—but no one should have to endure both at once,” said Senator Bissaillon (D-Dist. 1, Providence). “It is unconscionable that someone battling illness could also be forced to fight to keep their home. Medical debt is rarely the result of choice, yet it remains one of the leading causes of bankruptcy in our country. With this legislation, we draw a firm line: no Rhode Islander’s home should ever be at risk because they got sick. This is a matter of basic dignity, and while we must continue working to lower health care costs, we can and must act now to protect people from losing the stability they need to heal.”
Said Representative Shallcross Smith (D-Dist. 46, Lincoln, Pawtucket), “When a person has experienced a health crisis that has spiraled into a financial disaster, putting them in danger of losing their home too is beyond the pale. For any kind of health intervention to ultimately lead to homelessness, putting a person’s health and life at risk, is utterly antithetical. I’m very grateful that our colleagues in the General Assembly agreed that Rhode Island must no longer tolerate this harmful practice.”
Medical bills are among the top reasons underlying bankruptcy among Americans. A 2019 National Institute of Health study found that 66.5% of bankruptcy filers who responded indicated that medical expenses or problems contributed to their bankruptcy.
For more information, contact:
Meredyth R. Whitty, Publicist
State House Room 20
Providence, RI 02903
(401) 222-1923
|
|