S1194 • 2025

An Act to prevent unscrupulous medical debt recovery practices

Healthcare

Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor: Mark C. Montigny
Last action: 2026-02-05
Official status: Referred to Senate Committee on Ways and Means
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

An Act to prevent unscrupulous medical debt recovery practices

An Act to prevent unscrupulous medical debt recovery practices By Mr.

What This Bill Does

An Act to prevent unscrupulous medical debt recovery practices By Mr.
Montigny, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No.
1194) of Mark C.
Montigny for legislation to prevent unscrupulous medical debt recovery practices.

Limits and Unknowns

This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

2026-02-05 Senate
Bill reported favorably by committee and referred to the committee on Senate Ways and Means
2025-10-20 Joint
Hearing scheduled for 07/29/2025 from 01:00 PM-05:10 PM in A-2
2025-07-29 Joint
Hearing rescheduled to 07/29/2025 from 01:00 PM-06:00 PM in A-2 and Virtual Hearing updated to New End Time
2025-07-29 Joint
Hearing rescheduled to 07/29/2025 from 01:00 PM-05:10 PM in A-2 and Virtual Hearing updated to New End Time
2025-07-16 Joint
Hearing scheduled for 07/29/2025 from 01:00 PM-05:00 PM in A-2
2025-02-27 Senate
Referred to the committee on The Judiciary
2025-02-27 House
House concurred

Official Summary Text

An Act to prevent unscrupulous medical debt recovery practices
By Mr. Montigny, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1194) of Mark C. Montigny for legislation to prevent unscrupulous medical debt recovery practices. The Judiciary.
Status:
Referred to Senate Committee on Ways and Means

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

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Bill S.1194

SECTION 1. Chapter 235 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting after section 34A the following section:-

Section 34B.

A hospital or community health center licensed by the department of public health shall not seek legal execution against the primary motor vehicle of a patient or a guarantor of a patient nor seek legal execution up to the statutory amount provided for in chapter 188 against the principal residence of a patient or a guarantor of a patient, irrespective of whether a declaration of homestead has been recorded for said property.

SECTION 2.

The department of public health shall promulgate regulations prohibiting a hospital or community hospital or an agent of a hospital or community hospital from seeking legal execution against a primary motor vehicle or principal residence pursuant to section 34B of chapter 235 within 180 days of the effective date of this act.

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