I 
117TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 2537 
To amend the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act to provide a timetable 
for the collection of medical debt by debt collectors, to amend the Fair 
Credit Reporting Act to prohibit consumer reporting agencies from 
issuing consumer reports containing information about debts related to 
medically necessary procedures, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
APRIL 14, 2021 
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 the collection of medical debt by debt 
collectors, to amend the Fair Credit Reporting Act to 
prohibit consumer reporting agencies from issuing con-
sumer reports containing information about debts related 
to medically necessary procedures, and for other pur-
poses. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Consumer Protection 
for Medical Debt Collections Act’’. 
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SEC. 2. AMENDMENTS TO THE FAIR DEBT COLLECTION 
PRACTICES ACT. 
(a) DEFINITION.—Section 803 of the Fair Debt Col-
lection Practices Act (15 U.S.C. 1692a) is amended by 
adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(9) The term ‘medical debt’ means a debt 
arising from the receipt of medical services, 
products, or devices.’’. 
(b) UNFAIR PRACTICES.—Section 808 of the Fair 
Debt Collection Practices Act (15 U.S.C. 1692f) is amend-
ed by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(9) Engaging in activities to collect or at-
tempting to collect a medical debt owed or due 
or asserted to be owed or due by a consumer, 
before the end of the 2-year period beginning 
on the date that the first payment with respect 
to such medical debt is due.’’. 
SEC. 3. PROHIBITION ON CONSUMER REPORTING AGEN-
CIES REPORTING CERTAIN MEDICAL DEBT. 
(a) DEFINITION.—Section 603 of the Fair Credit Re-
porting Act (15 U.S.C. 1681a) is amended by adding at 
the end the following: 
‘‘(bb) MEDICAL DEBT.—The term ‘medical debt’ 
means a debt arising from the receipt of medical services, 
products, or devices. 
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‘‘(cc) MEDICALLY NECESSARY PROCEDURE.—The 
term ‘medically necessary procedure’ means— 
‘‘(1) health care services or supplies needed to 
diagnose or treat an illness, injury, condition, dis-
ease, or its symptoms and that meet accepted stand-
ards of medicine; and 
‘‘(2) health care to prevent illness or detect ill-
ness at an early stage, when treatment is likely to 
work best (including preventive services such as pap 
tests, flu shots, and screening mammograms).’’. 
(b) IN GENERAL.—Section 605(a) of the Fair Credit 
Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. 1681c(a)) is amended by adding 
at the end the following new paragraphs: 
‘‘(9) Any information related to a debt arising 
from a medically necessary procedure. 
‘‘(10) Any information related to a medical 
debt, if the date on which such debt was placed for 
collection, charged to profit or loss, or subjected to 
any similar action antedates the report by less than 
365 calendar days.’’. 
SEC. 4. REQUIREMENTS FOR FURNISHERS OF MEDICAL 
DEBT INFORMATION. 
(a) ADDITIONAL NOTICE REQUIREMENTS FOR MED-
ICAL DEBT.—Section 623 of the Fair Credit Reporting 
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Act (15 U.S.C. 1681s–2) is amended by adding at the end 
the following: 
‘‘(f) ADDITIONAL NOTICE REQUIREMENTS FOR MED-
ICAL DEBT.—Before furnishing information regarding a 
medical debt of a consumer to a consumer reporting agen-
cy, the person furnishing the information shall send a 
statement to the consumer that includes the following: 
‘‘(1) A notification that the medical debt— 
‘‘(A) may not be included on a consumer 
report made by a consumer reporting agency 
until the later of the date that is 365 days 
after— 
‘‘(i) the date on which the person 
sends the statement; 
‘‘(ii) with respect to the medical debt 
of a borrower demonstrating hardship, a 
date determined by the Director of the Bu-
reau; or 
‘‘(iii) the date described under section 
605(a)(10); and 
‘‘(B) may not ever be included on a con-
sumer report made by a consumer reporting 
agency, if the medical debt arises from a medi-
cally necessary procedure. 
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‘‘(2) A notification that, if the debt is settled or 
paid by the consumer or an insurance company be-
fore the end of the period described under paragraph 
(1)(A), the debt may not be reported to a consumer 
reporting agency. 
‘‘(3) A notification that the consumer may— 
‘‘(A) communicate with an insurance com-
pany to determine coverage for the debt; or 
‘‘(B) apply for financial assistance.’’. 
(b) FURNISHING
OF
MEDICAL
DEBT
INFORMA-
TION.—Section 623 of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 
U.S.C. 1681s–2), as amended by subsection (a), is further 
amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(g) FURNISHING
OF MEDICAL DEBT INFORMA-
TION.— 
‘‘(1) PROHIBITION
ON
REPORTING
DEBT
RE-
LATED TO MEDICALLY NECESSARY PROCEDURES.— 
No person shall furnish any information to a con-
sumer reporting agency regarding a debt arising 
from a medically necessary procedure. 
‘‘(2) TREATMENT OF OTHER MEDICAL DEBT IN-
FORMATION.—With respect to a medical debt not 
described under paragraph (1), no person shall fur-
nish any information to a consumer reporting agen-
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cy regarding such debt before the end of the 365- 
day period beginning on the later of— 
‘‘(A) the date on which the person sends 
the statement described under subsection (f) to 
the consumer; 
‘‘(B) with respect to the medical debt of a 
borrower demonstrating hardship, a date deter-
mined by the Director of the Bureau; or 
‘‘(C) 
the 
date 
described 
in 
section 
605(a)(10). 
‘‘(3) TREATMENT OF SETTLED OR PAID MED-
ICAL DEBT.—With respect to a medical debt not de-
scribed under paragraph (1), no person shall furnish 
any information to a consumer reporting agency re-
garding such debt if the debt is settled or paid by 
the consumer or an insurance company before the 
end of the 365-day period described under para-
graph (2). 
‘‘(4) BORROWER
DEMONSTRATING
HARDSHIP 
DEFINED.—In this subsection, and with respect to a 
medical debt, the term ‘borrower demonstrating 
hardship’ means a borrower or a class of borrowers 
who, as determined by the Director of the Bureau, 
is facing or has experienced unusual extenuating life 
circumstances or events that result in severe finan-
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cial or personal barriers such that the borrower or 
class of borrowers does not have the capacity to 
repay the medical debt.’’. 
SEC. 5. EFFECTIVE DATE. 
This Act and the amendments made by this Act shall 
take effect on the date that is 180 days after the date 
of enactment of this Act. 
Æ 
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