Maine Senate passes Sen. Bailey bill to strengthen Maine’s landmark medical debt law

The bill builds on the Senator’s law that bans medical debt from consumer reports.

AUGUSTA — On Wednesday, March 25, the Maine Senate sent a bill from Sen. Donna Bailey, D-Saco, to the Governor’s desk for her approval. LD 2129, “An Act to Strengthen Consumer Protections by Prohibiting Liens on Principal Residences and Wage Garnishments for Medical Debt,” seeks to expand protections for Mainers with medical debt.

“With Mary’s Walk on Sunday in Saco, this is perfect timing for passing this bill,” said Sen. Bailey. “It will be an honor to share this news with the people walking to raise money for efforts to diagnose, research and treat cancer in Maine. As a cancer survivor myself, I will be walking in memory of my husband, who lost his life to cancer. I know the additional harmful impacts of medical debt, especially for cancer patients and survivors, all too well.”

Currently, a debt collection agency can sue a person with medical debt and, with a court order, recover money by placing a lien on the person’s home or garnishing their wages. Several states, including Delaware, New York, North Carolina and Virginia, already have the strongest protections for patients with medical debt from having liens placed on their homes or having their wages garnished.

In testimony in support of the bill, the American Cancer Society Center Cancer Action Network and Blood Cancer United spoke to the particularly devastating impact of medical debt on cancer patients and survivors: “Cancer patients are especially vulnerable. Nearly half of cancer survivors report carrying medical debt related to their treatment due to repeated care, high cost-sharing and lost wages. Medical debt is not a reflection of personal failure but rather a systemic problem in our health care system. Addressing medical debt is crucial to accomplishing our collective mission of ending cancer as we know it. Individuals must first have access to quality, affordable health insurance coverage, and policies are also needed to reduce the impact of medical debt on individuals and families.”

Now LD 2129 goes to the Governor’s desk, where she has 10 days to sign it, allow it to become law without her signature or veto it.

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