Lawmakers in over a dozen states — including Colorado — and the U.S. Congress are tackling medical debt, which has become a leading cause of personal bankruptcy.
DENVER — Cindy Powers was driven into bankruptcy by 19 life-saving abdominal operations. Medical debt started stacking up for Lindsey Vance after she crashed her skateboard and had to get nine stitches in her chin. And for Misty Castaneda, open heart surgery for a disease she'd had since birth saddled her with $200,000 in bills.
In Colorado, House lawmakers approved a measure Wednesday that would lower the maximum interest rate for medical debt to 3%, require greater transparency in costs of treatment and prohibit debt collection during an appeals process. Powers' family ended up owing $250,000 for the 19 life-saving abdominal surgeries. They declared bankruptcy in 2009, then the bank foreclosed on their home.
In Colorado, New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Massachusetts and the U.S. Congress lawmakers are contemplating bills that would bar medical debt from being included on consumer reports, thereby protecting debtors' credit scores.
Norge Siste Nytt, Norge Overskrifter
Similar News:Du kan også lese nyheter som ligner på denne som vi har samlet inn fra andre nyhetskilder.
Colorado lawmakers move to ban ghost guns after 2 shootingsColorado lawmakers want to ban ghost guns after two recent high-profile shootings involving untraceable firearms.
Les mer »
Biden admin analysis on Colorado River puts pressure on Lower Basin states for cutsThe Biden administration released an environmental analysis Tuesday of competing plans for how seven Western states and tribes reliant on the dwindling water supply from the Colorado River should cut their use but declined to publicly take a side on the best option.
Les mer »
Federal officials propose reducing Colorado River water to lower-basin states in “shot across the bow”In the coming weeks, federal officials must decide whether to impose cuts on the three lower Colorado River Basin states by either following the longstanding system of water-rights seniority or by spreading them across three states evenly.
Les mer »
States face unprecedented water cuts under Biden admin Colorado River crisis planU.S. officials released a set of proposals for distributing cuts from the Colorado River — including one that would break from precedent by evenly assigning reductions among lower basin states, forcing users in California to shoulder more of the load.
Les mer »
Interior floats plan for Colorado River cuts to Western statesThe Interior Department floated new emergency changes to rules governing how water from the Colorado River is allocated that would enable the department to oversee reduced releases to states that rely on the river.
Les mer »
Biden's Colorado River proposal will cut water to three statesThe proposal outlined three options, one of which equally reduced water allocation to three states in the lower Colorado River basin.
Les mer »