Maryland medical debt
Maryland Medical Debt: Insurance, Maryland’s Wins and National Trends
For Marylanders who receive their health insurance through the state exchange, the increase in costs is sickening. Insurers who offer policies on the state exchange are seeking 17% increases in premiums for individuals to cope with expected cuts in federal funding. These rising costs may make health insurance unaffordable for many working families with some officials estimating that 70,000 may forgo health insurance, increasing their risk of developing high medical debt. Insurance is one of many significant drivers of runaway healthcare costs and medical debt. On Monday, the Lown Institute released Past Due: How Medical Debt is Harming Americans and ...
Help Pass Key Medical Debt Bills in the Senate!
Maryland families are struggling with the high costs of basic needs including food, housing, utilities, and healthcare. We are already seeing many costs increase, putting more pressure on hard-working low-income households. We are working hard to protect patients over profits this legislative session. This morning, two of our priority bills to address medical debt passed out of the House, and we need your help!. HB1020 sponsored by Del. Julie Palacovich-Carr will ban hospitals and outpatient providers as well as some healthcare credit cards from reporting medical debt to credit reporting agencies. Patients shouldn’t see their credit scores plummet because they ...
Keep Medical Debt Away From Credit Scores!
Medical debt is pushing too many Maryland families into financial distress. Families struggling to afford essential health care are being forced into high-cost medical credit cards, aggressive debt collection lawsuits, and unfair credit reporting practices—all of which trap patients in cycles of financial hardship. Thanks to your efforts, two of our priority bills (read more about HB268 and HB428) to improve these outcomes have passed out of committee and are on track to make it to the other chamber by crossover day. But the fight is not done, and there are still protections we need to secure at the state ...
End Medical Debt Liens on Homes, and Expand Low-Cost Care!
In the past five years, Economic Action has worked with legislators, coalition partners, and YOU to pass some of the strongest medical debt protections in the country. But there is much more work to be done. As we reach the halfway point of Maryland's legislative session, legislators are faced with competing priorities. With over 2,500 bills this year, it is more important than ever to use your voice and let your elected officials know that protecting patients from medical debt should be a priority. Please urge your legislators to pass HB268/SB981 and HB428/SB349! HB268/SB981 puts patients first by: Creating a ...
Put Maryland Patients First and Reduce Medical Debt
Background Medical debt remains an issue in Maryland and one that disproportionately affects Black patients. According to a 2023 poll that Economic Action commissioned, 14% of Marylanders have debt related to medical services they can’t pay with the percentage rising to 23% for Black households. In the past five years, Economic Action has worked with legislators and coalition partners to pass some of the strongest protections in the country. But there is much more work to be done. The Problem and Solutions Hospital Debt Hospital debt remains an issue in Maryland. With rising costs of healthcare, high insurance deductibles, and ...
Political rivals agree medical debt is urgent issue
Despite political tensions, Democrats and Republicans have passed bipartisan laws in over 20 states to protect patients from aggressive billing and collections. “Republicans in the legislature seem more open to protecting people from medical debt than from other kinds of debt,” said Marceline White, executive director of Economic Action Maryland, which helped lead efforts in that state to stop medical providers from garnishing the wages of low-income patients. That bill drew unanimous support from Democrats and Republicans. Read the rest of the article here. You can also get more information on medical debt in Maryland by downloading our 2024 Guide ...
Medical Debt Protections Maryland
Medical Debt Protections Maryland This guide is designed to walk you through different options and rights you have to receive affordable hospital health care at different stages in the process which are specific to Maryland. Click Here to View Our 2024 Guide To Medical Debt HB268 Fact Sheet - Putting Patients Over Profits HB428/SB349 - Protecting Patients From Medical Debt Home Liens Paying for Hospital Care - Financial Assistance You may be eligible for free or reduced-cost care. By law, Maryland’s nonprofit hospitals must offer free and low-cost care ...
Medical Debt
Medical Debt Medical debt is the number one cause of bankruptcies in the United States. In 2020, 15% of Maryland residents reported having medical debt. Medical debt can happen to anyone - to people with and without insurance, to low and high-income people, across racial and gender lines. However, while medical debt can happen to anyone, it disproportionately impacts low-income communities and communities of color. Our Medical Debt program provides direct assistance and education to Marylanders struggling with hospital debt through our Medical Debt Freedom Fund and a medical debt Know Your Rights guide. Click Here to View ...
Policy Advocacy
Policy and Legislative Advocacy Working at the local, state, and federal level, Economic Action Maryland Fund unites individual consumer advocates, poverty and consumer organizations, and grassroots members to press for policies that protect vulnerable Marylanders. Together, we uncover systemic issues in our financial system and work to create policies that don’t just put bandaids on problems, but heal the system for good. Fact Sheets, Testimony, Comments and Sign-On Letters Fact Sheet on HB1020/SB614, Prohibiting Adverse Reporting of Outpatient Medical Debt to Credit Reporting Agencies (2025) Fact Sheet on HB769, Establishing a Statute of Limitations on Mortgage ...
What We Do
What We Do Economic Action Maryland Fund strives to empower vulnerable Marylanders and ensure there are strong safeguards in place to help them build and maintain assets throughout their financial lives. We fight for families to have MORE: more protections from debt collectors and predatory lenders, more information and advice to avert deceptive tricks and traps, more housing and financial security and a more just economy. Economic Action provides direct assistance today and passes policies to change the system in the future. Our direct service programs support Maryland households struggling with housing, economic ...