Medical Debt

HB 1271 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1271-00
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to medical debt; amending s. 395.3011, 2
F.S.; revising the definition of the term 3
"extraordinary collection action" and defining the 4
term "prohibited collection actions"; providing an 5
effective date. 6
7
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 8
9
Section 1. Subsection (1) of section 395.3011, Florida 10
Statutes, is amended to read: 11
395.3011 Billing and collection activities.— 12
(1)(a) As used in this section, the term "extraordinary 13
collection action" means any of the following actions taken by a 14
licensed facility against an individual in relation to obtaining 15
payment of a bill for care: 16
1.(a) Selling the individual's debt to another party, 17
except if, before the sale, the medical creditor has entered 18
into a legally binding written agreement with the medical debt 19
buyer which includes all of the following criteria: 20
a. The medical debt buyer or collector is prohibited from 21
engaging in any prohibited collection actions listed in 22
paragraph (b) to obtain payment for the care. 23
b. The medical debt buyer is prohibited from charging 24
interest on the debt in excess of that described in paragraph 25

HB 1271 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1271-00
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

(2)(e). 26
c. The debt is returnable to or recallable by the medical 27
creditor upon a determination by the medical creditor or medical 28
debt buyer that the individual is eligible for financial 29
assistance. 30
d. If the individual is determined to be eligible for 31
financial assistance and the debt is not returned to or recalled 32
by the medical creditor, the medical debt buyer is required to 33
adhere to procedures which shall be specified in the agreement 34
that ensure that the individual does not pay, and has no 35
obligation to pay, the medical debt buyer and the medical 36
creditor together more than he or she is personally responsible 37
for paying in compliance with this section; 38
2. Filing a debt collection lawsuit; or 39
3. Any prohibited collection actions. 40
(b) As used in this subsection, the term "prohibited 41
collection actions" means the following activities when used by 42
any medical creditor or medical debt collector to collect debts 43
owed for health care services: 44
1. Causing or threatening an individual's arrest; 45
2. Causing or threatening an individual to be subject to a 46
writ of body attachment; 47
3. Obtaining or threatening to obtain a lien on an 48
individual's real property; 49
4. Foreclosing or threatening to foreclose on an 50

HB 1271 2026

CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1271-00
Page 3 of 3
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S

individual's real property; 51
5. Garnishing or threatening to garnish wages or state 52
income tax refunds; 53
6. State or federal tax offsets to seize tax refunds or 54
tax credits; 55
7. Attaching, seizing, or threatening to attach or seize a 56
consumer's bank account; or 57
8. Furnishing or threatening to furnish information about 58
the medical debt to a consumer reporting agency. 59
(b) Reporting adverse information about the individual to 60
consumer credit reporting agencies or credit bureaus. 61
(c) Deferring, denying, or requiring a payment before 62
providing medically necessary care because of the individual's 63
nonpayment of one or more bills for previously provided care 64
covered under the facility's financial assistance policy. 65
(d) Actions that require a legal or judicial process, 66
including, but not limited to: 67
1. Placing a lien on the individual's property; 68
2. Foreclosing on the individual's real property; 69
3. Attaching or seizing the individual's bank account or 70
any other personal property; 71
4. Commencing a civil action against the individual; 72
5. Causing the individual's arrest; or 73
6. Garnishing the individual's wages. 74
Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2026. 75