Trump punted on medical debt protection. Now the battle is in the states

"With the Trump administration scaling back federal efforts to protect Americans from medical bills they can't pay, advocates for patients and consumers have shifted their work to contain the nation's medical debt problem to state Capitols. Despite progress in some mostly blue states this year, however, recent setbacks in more conservative legislatures underscore the persistent challenges in strengthening patient protections. Bills to shield patients from medical debt failed this year in Indiana, Montana, Nevada, South Dakota, and Wyoming in the face of industry opposition."

"And advocates warn that states need to step up as millions of Americans are expected to lose insurance coverage because of President Donald Trump's tax and spending law. "This is an issue that had been top of mind even before the change of administrations in Washington," said Kate Ende, policy director of Maine-based Consumers for Affordable Health Care. "The pullback at the federal level made it that much more important that we do something.""

"This year, Maine joined a growing list of states that have barred medical debt from residents' credit reports, a key protection that can make it easier for consumers to get a home, a car, or sometimes a job. The measure passed unanimously with bipartisan support. An estimated 100 million adults in the U.S. have some form of health care debt. The federal government was poised to bar medical debt from credit reports under regulations issued in the waning days of former President Joe Biden's administration."

Federal scaling back of medical-debt protections shifted advocacy to state Capitols as advocates seek to contain the nation's medical debt problem. Progress occurred in some mostly blue states, while conservative legislatures produced setbacks: bills failed in Indiana, Montana, Nevada, South Dakota, and Wyoming amid industry opposition. Maine barred medical debt from credit reports with unanimous, bipartisan support, removing a barrier to housing, auto loans, and employment for affected consumers. An estimated 100 million U.S. adults carry health care debt; proposed federal regulations would have helped about 15 million. The Trump administration did not defend those regulations, and a Texas judge ordered them scrapped.

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