MEDICAL DEBT: INFORMATION, DISCRIMINATION

HB0178b -1- CSHB 178(L&C)
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CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 178(L&C)

IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA

THIRTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE - FIRST SESSION

BY THE HOUSE LABOR AND COMMERCE COMMITTEE

Offered: 5/9/25
Referred: Finance

Sponsor(s): REPRESENTATIVE MINA
A BILL

FOR AN ACT ENTITLED

"An Act relating to medical debt and consumer credit reporting agencies; relating to 1
discriminatory practices based on the medical debt of a person; a n d p r o v i d i n g f o r a n 2
effective date." 3
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 4
* Section 1. AS 18.80.240 is amended by adding new subsections to read: 5
(b) It is unlawful for the owner, lessee, manager, or other pe rson having the 6
right to lease or rent residential real property 7
(1) to refuse to lease or rent the real property to a person because of the 8
person's medical debt; 9
(2) to discriminate against a person in a term, condition, or privilege 10
relating to the use, lease, or re ntal of the real property beca use of the person's medical 11
debt; 12
(3) to make a written or oral inquiry or record of the medical debt of a 13
person seeking to rent or lease the real property; 14
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CSHB 178(L&C) -2- HB0178b
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(4) to represent to a person that the real property is not ava ilable for 1
inspection, rental, or lease when in fact it is so available, or to refuse to allow a person 2
to inspect the real property because of the person's medical debt; 3
(5) to make, print, or publish, or cause to be made, printed, or 4
published, any notice, statement, or advertisement with respect to the rental of the real 5
property that indicates any preference, limitation, or discrimi nation based on a 6
person's medical debt. 7
(c) In this section, "medical debt" has the meaning given in AS 45.48.800(c). 8
* Sec. 2. AS 45.48 is amended by adding a new section to read: 9
Article 6A. Miscellaneous Provisions. 10
Sec. 45.48.800. Medical debt. (a) A medical creditor or medical debt collector 11
may not communicate with or report information to a consumer cr edit reporting 12
agency regarding a medical debt. If a medical creditor or medic al debt collector 13
communicates with or reports information to a consumer credit r eporting agency 14
regarding the medical debt of a consumer in violation of this s ubsection, the 15
consumer's agreement to pay the debt is void and unenforceable. 16
(b) A consumer credit reporting agency may not include medical debt in a 17
consumer report or use medical debt to calculate a credit score. 18
(c) In this section, 19
(1) "medical creditor" means an entity that provides health ca re 20
services and to whom a consumer owes or, if purchased by a medi cal debt collector, 21
owed medical debt; 22
(2) "medical debt" means an obligation for the payment of mone y 23
arising out of an agreement or contract, express or implied, fo r the provision of health 24
care services, products, or devices; "medical debt" does not in clude debt charged to a 25
credit card or an extension of credit made by a financial institution to a borrower; 26
(3) "medical debt collector" means a person that 27
(A) regularly collects or attempts to collect, directly or 28
indirectly, medical debt originally owed or due, or asserted to be owed or due, 29
to another; 30
(B) purchases medical debt from an entity that provides health 31
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HB0178b -3- CSHB 178(L&C)
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care services. 1
* Sec. 3. This Act takes effect immediately under AS 01.10.070(c). 2