Unpaid Medical Debt NYS notice
Unpaid medical debt will no longer appear in New York residents’ credit reports under a new bill that was signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul on December 13, 2023. A new article 49A was added to the New York Public Health Law, titled the Fair Medical Debt Reporting Act, which went into effect immediately.
Under the new law, “medical debt” means an obligation or alleged obligation of a consumer to pay any amount related to the receipt of health care services, products, or devices from an Article 28 hospital, a health care professional, or a certified ambulance service. Health care professionals covered by the law include all the licensed professions under Title VIII of the Education Law, which includes physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners as well as all the other health professionals who hold a license.1 Notably, medical debt does not include debt charged to a credit card, unless the credit card is issued under an open-ended or closed-ended plan offered specifically for the payment of health care services, products, or devices provided to a person.
Under the new law, “medical debt” means an obligation or alleged obligation of a consumer to pay any amount related to the receipt of health care services, products, or devices from an Article 28 hospital, a health care professional, or a certified ambulance service. Health care professionals covered by the law include all the licensed professions under Title VIII of the Education Law, which includes physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners as well as all the other health professionals who hold a license.1 Notably, medical debt does not include debt charged to a credit card, unless the credit card is issued under an open-ended or closed-ended plan offered specifically for the payment of health care services, products, or devices provided to a person.