Tzedek DC was recently featured in a New York Times article on medical debt. The piece discusses the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)'s move to create new rules that would prevent medical debt from appearing on credit reports and affecting credit scores. Our Equal Justice Works Medical Debt Fellow, Jennifer Holloway, was quoted multiple times.
As Jennifer points out in the article, many people with medical debt are those with chronic illnesses who need continuing care or those with a one-time injury that required treatment in the emergency room. "They fell and broke their ankle, they have a high deductible and now they're thousands of dollars in debt."
The rules are still in development, and in the meantime, Jennifer also provided advice in the article on what to do if you can't afford to pay a medical bill. She advised asking for a detailed bill to compare with your insurer's explanation of benefits as well as keeping medical debt in perspective when managing your other bills—prioritizing paying your rent, mortgage, or car loans first.