Montana legislation · 2025 Regular Session
Montana HB273: Provide for limitations on collection of medical debt
Status: Failed, May 20, 2025
What the bill says
A bill for an act entitled: "an act limiting collection actions for a patient's debt owed for health care services; requiring a wait time and notice before engaging in an extraordinary collection action; prohibiting certain collection actions; limiting collection actions when a health insurance decision is appealed; providing definitions; amending section 25-13-609, mca; and providing an applicability date.".
From the engrossed text:
A BILL FOR AN ACT ENTITLED: "AN ACT LIMITING COLLECTION ACTIONS FOR A PATIENT'S DEBT OWED FOR HEALTH CARE SERVICES; REQUIRING A WAIT TIME AND NOTICE BEFORE ENGAGING IN AN EXTRAORDINARY COLLECTION ACTION; PROHIBITING CERTAIN COLLECTION ACTIONS; LIMITING COLLECTION ACTIONS WHEN A HEALTH INSURANCE DECISION IS APPEALED; PROVIDING DEFINITIONS; AMENDING SECTION 25-13-609, MCA; AND PROVIDING AN APPLICABILITY DATE." WHEREAS, rising health care costs have made medical debt a significant problem for working Montanans, with one in three Americans burdened with medical debt; and WHEREAS, increasing delay and denial of insurance claims, as well as increasing uncovered out-ofpocket costs, have left patients who thought they had adequate insurance coverage without coverage for particular circumstances, resulting in debt to cover the uninsured expenses; and WHEREAS, medical debt incurred for necessary medical treatment is unlike other debt because it usually results from an emergency caused by an unexpected sickness or accident and the debtor has little choice but to incur the debt; and WHEREAS, in 2022, 10% of Montanans had medical debt sent to collections, with the median debt in collections being $713, forcing Montana families to choose between paying rent, buying groceries, or skipping medical care; and WHEREAS, the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau recently found that longstanding policies in Indian Health Services have resulted in people in Native American majority communities, …
Sponsors
- Stafman, Ed (D, 59) · primary sponsor
Latest actions
- : (H) Died in Process
- : (H) Missed Deadline for General Bill Transmittal
- : (H) Fiscal Note Printed
- : (H) Fiscal Note Signed
- : (H) Fiscal Note Received
- : (H) 2nd Reading
- : (H) Scheduled for 2nd Reading
- : (H) Fiscal Note Requested
- : (H) Committee Report
- : (H) Committee Executive Action
Votes
- Do Pass (February 11, 2025): 45 yea, 54 nay, failed
Subjects: Financial Institutions, Health Care Services
Common questions
- What is HB273?
- HB273 is a bill in the Montana Legislature (2025 Regular Session): Provide for limitations on collection of medical debt.
- What does HB273 do?
- In its own words: A bill for an act entitled: "an act limiting collection actions for a patient's debt owed for health care services; requiring a wait time and notice before engaging in an extraordinary collection action; prohibiting certain collection actions; limiting collection actions when a health insurance decision is appealed; providing definitions; amending section 25-13-609, mca; and providing an applicability date.".
- What is the status of HB273?
- Failed as of May 20, 2025. Latest action: (H) Died in Process (May 20, 2025).
- Who sponsored HB273?
- Stafman, Ed (D, 59).
- Where is the official record for HB273?
- On the Montana Legislature website: https://bills.legmt.gov/#/laws/bill/2/LC1385
Source: official Montana record. Tracked by Delilah, AI for legislation across all 50 states and Congress.