Plain English Breakdown
The provided bill text is unreadable binary data; all facts are derived solely from the official title and summary description.
Medical Debt Protection Act
This bill amends Georgia's Fair Business Practices Act to add new rules about medical debt, including interest rates, fees, payment plans, billing practices, and how credit agencies report unpaid bills.
What This Bill Does
- Amends the 'Fair Business Practices Act of 1975' in Georgia law.
- Sets rules for interest rates, fees, and payment plans on medical debt.
- Establishes new billing and collection requirements.
- Prohibits collecting medical debt while a patient is appealing their health insurance claim.
- Defines how consumer reporting agencies must handle information about unpaid medical bills.
- Provides definitions, remedies, and rules for agreements related to medical debt.
Who It Names or Affects
- Healthcare providers in Georgia
- Patients with medical debts
- Consumer reporting agencies (credit bureaus)
- Debt collectors handling medical bills
Terms To Know
- Fair Business Practices Act of 1975
- The existing Georgia state law that this bill changes to add new rules about medical debt.
- Consumer reporting agencies
- Companies, such as credit bureaus, that collect and share information about people's financial history.
Limits and Unknowns
- The official text provided is a file format code (PDF) rather than readable law language.
- Specific dollar amounts for fees or exact time limits are not listed in the summary text.
- The effective date when these rules begin has not been set yet.