• Ohio lawmakers are considering the Medical Debt Fairness Act to limit interest on medical debt and protect individuals' credit scores.
• The federal HOPE Act proposes creating Health Out-of-Pocket Expense (HOPE) Accounts to help individuals save for medical expenses.
• Both initiatives aim to address the growing crisis of medical debt, which affects millions of Americans and forces many to postpone necessary care.

Several legislative initiatives are underway to address the growing problem of medical debt in the United States. In Ohio, the Medical Debt Fairness Act seeks to protect residents from high interest rates and negative credit reporting related to medical bills. Nationally, the Health Out-of-Pocket Expense Act (HOPE Act) proposes creating savings accounts to help individuals manage their healthcare costs. These efforts reflect a growing awareness of the financial strain that medical debt places on individuals and families.

• What: Legislative efforts to address medical debt, including the HOPE Act and Ohio's Medical Debt Fairness Act, focusing on savings tools, interest rate caps, and credit protection.
• Who: Key individuals include California Reps. Jimmy Panetta, Raul Ruiz, and David Valadao, Ohio Reps. Michele Grim and Jean Schmidt, and Ohio House Speaker Matt Huffman. Families and individuals burdened by medical debt are the primary focus.
• When: The Ohio Medical Debt Fairness Act was introduced the week of May 6, 2025. The HOPE Act is currently under consideration in Congress.
• Where: The HOPE Act is a federal initiative affecting the entire United States. The Medical Debt Fairness Act is focused on the state of Ohio.

The medical debt crisis is a significant issue affecting millions of Americans, forcing difficult choices between healthcare and other essential needs. The HOPE Act and the Ohio Medical Debt Fairness Act represent different approaches to tackling this problem. The HOPE Act focuses on empowering individuals to save for healthcare expenses, while the Ohio bill aims to provide immediate relief by capping interest rates and protecting credit scores. Both initiatives highlight a growing recognition of the need for policy solutions to address the financial burden of medical debt.

This protects working people and ensures illness can't spiral into poverty.

You will still have to pay for it, but it provides those necessary guardrails so it doesn’t ruin your credit.

Medicaid, as we know, is supposed to be a program for people who can’t afford their medical bills. If they have other assets, even if they’re not liquid assets, those are supposed to be used before the state would use taxpayer dollars, state or federal government to come in and pay that.

The issue of medical debt is receiving increasing attention from lawmakers at both the state and federal levels. While the HOPE Act and the Ohio Medical Debt Fairness Act offer distinct approaches, they share the common goal of alleviating the financial strain on individuals and families. These legislative efforts represent important steps toward addressing the complex challenges posed by rising healthcare costs and the resulting burden of medical debt.