I 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. R. 5330 

To amend the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act to provide a timetable 

for verification of medical debt and to increase the efficiency of credit 

markets with more perfect information, to prohibit consumer reporting 

agencies from issuing consumer reports containing information about 

debts related to medically necessary procedure, about and for other 

purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

DECEMBER 5, 2019 

Ms. TLAIB introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee 

on Financial Services 

A BILL 

To amend the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act to provide 

a timetable for verification of medical debt and to increase the efficiency of credit markets with more perfect 

information, to prohibit consumer reporting agencies 

from issuing consumer reports containing information 

about debts related to medically necessary procedure, 

about and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Consumer Protection 

3 for Medical Debt Collections Act’’. 

4 SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS TO THE FAIR DEBT COLLECTION 

5 PRACTICES ACT. 

6 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 809 of the Fair Debt Col7 lection Practices Act (15 U.S.C. 1692g) is amended by 

8 adding at the end the following: 

9 ‘‘(f) ADDITIONAL NOTICE REQUIREMENTS FOR MED10 ICAL DEBT.— 

11 ‘‘(1) DEFINITIONS.—In this subsection: 

12 ‘‘(A) CONSUMER REPORTING AGENCY.— 

13 The term ‘consumer reporting agency’ has the 

14 meaning given the term in section 603(f) of the 

15 Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. 

16 1681a(f)). 

17 ‘‘(B) MEDICAL DEBT.—The term ‘medical 

18 debt’ means a debt arising from the receipt of 

19 medical services, products, or devices. 

20 ‘‘(2) NOTICE ABOUT CREDIT REPORTING.—Be21 fore furnishing information regarding a medical debt 

22 of a consumer to a consumer reporting agency, the 

23 person furnishing the information shall send a state24 ment to the consumer that includes the following: 

25 ‘‘(A) A notification that the medical debt 

26 may not be reported to a consumer reporting 


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1 agency until the end of the 1-year period begin2 ning on the later of— 

3 ‘‘(i) the date on which the person 

4 sends the statement; and 

5 ‘‘(ii) the last date on which the con6 sumer made any payment to the person 

7 with respect to the medical debt. 

8 ‘‘(B) A notification that, if the debt is set9 tled or paid by the consumer or an insurance 

10 company before the end of the 1-year period de11 scribed under subparagraph (A)— 

12 ‘‘(i) the debt may not be reported to 

13 a consumer reporting agency; and 

14 ‘‘(ii) the consumer may, any time be15 fore the end of such that 1-year period— 

16 ‘‘(I) communicate with an insur17 ance company to determine coverage 

18 for the debt; or 

19 ‘‘(II) apply for financial assist20 ance. 

21 ‘‘(3) NO REPORTING BEFORE THE END OF THE

22 1-YEAR PERIOD.— 

23 ‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Before the end of the 

24 1-year period described in paragraph (2)(A), no 

25 person may communicate with, or report any 


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1 information to, any consumer reporting agency 

2 regarding a debt described in that paragraph. 

3 ‘‘(B) REPORTING AFTER THE END OF THE

4 1-YEAR PERIOD.—Nothing in this subsection 

5 shall prohibit a person from communicating 

6 with, or reporting any information to, a con7 sumer reporting agency regarding a medical 

8 debt of a consumer after the end of the 1-year 

9 period described in paragraph (2)(A) with re10 spect to the debt. 

11 ‘‘(4) NO DEBT COLLECTION BEFORE THE END

12 OF THE 1-YEAR PERIOD.—With respect to a medical 

13 debt, before the end of the 1-year period described 

14 in paragraph (2)(A), a debt collector may not en15 gage in activities to collect or attempt to collect such 

16 medical debt owed or due or asserted to be owed.’’. 

17 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by 

18 this section shall take effect on the date that is 180 days 

19 after the date of enactment of this Act. 

20 SEC. 3. PROHIBITION ON REPORTING MEDICALLY NEC21 ESSARY PROCEDURES. 

22 (a) IN GENERAL.—Section 605(a) of the Fair Credit 

23 Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. 1681c(a)) is amended by adding 

24 at the end the following new paragraph: 


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1 ‘‘(9) Any information related to a debt arising 

2 from a medically necessary procedure.’’. 

3 (b) EFFECTIVE DATE.—The amendment made by 

4 this section shall take effect on the date that is 180 days 

5 after the date of enactment of this Act. 

Æ 


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