Bill · S. 2519· Senate(119-S-2519)
Medical Debt Relief Act of 2025
- Introduced
- 7/29/2025
- Last activity
- 7/29/2025 — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
- Sponsored by
- Jeff Merkley
- Cosponsors
- - 5 - 0
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The "Medical Debt Relief Act of 2025" aims to amend the Fair Credit Reporting Act. It would stop medical debt from being included on consumer credit reports. It also seeks to prevent creditors from using medical debt information when deciding whether to grant credit.
Yes· 3 of 26
Would households on low incomes be better off under this?+6
Low-income households are disproportionately affected by medical debt and its impact on credit, so this bill provides significant relief.
Would middle-income households be better off under this?+5
Middle-class households can still struggle with unexpected medical expenses, and this bill can protect their credit scores from being negatively impacted.
Would people in their twenties and thirties be better off under this?+4
Young adults often have less established credit and may be more vulnerable to negative impacts from medical debt, so this bill could help them establish good credit.
The opposite
No question was scored the opposite.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Exclusion of Medical Debt from Credit Reports: Section 2(b) amends Section 605(a) of the Fair Credit Reporting Act to exclude any adverse information related to medical debt from consumer reports. This could help people by preventing their credit scores from being negatively affected by medical debt, which is often unexpected and difficult to manage.
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Prohibition on Using Medical Debt Information for Credit Decisions: Section 3 requires the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection to amend regulations to stop creditors from using a consumer's medical debt information when deciding whether to grant credit. This could help people gain access to credit who might have been denied due to medical debt, improving their financial opportunities.
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- I found no potential negative impacts for people in the provided text of the bill.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Good For Low Income Households+6Good For Middle Class Households+5Good For Native Americans+4Good For People With Disabilities+4Good For Young Adults+4Good For African Americans+3Good For Hispanic Americans+3Good For Immigrants+3Good For Middle Aged+3Good For Retirees+3Good For Seniors+3Good For Asian Americans+2Good For Business Owners+2Good For High Income Households+2Good For L G B T Q Community+2Good For Men+2Good For Rural Residents+2Good For Students+2Good For Veterans+2Good For White Americans+2Good For Women+2Good For Farmers+1Good For High Net Worth Individuals+1Good For Urban Residents+1
- Social Issues And Justice
- Improves Poverty Reduction+4
- Economy And Finance
- Improves Consumer Protection+3
- 7/29/2025
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs.
- 5 Cosponsors added.
- Introduced in Senate
2 bills Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Richard BlumenthalDemocrat · Connecticut
John FettermanDemocrat · Pennsylvania
Kirsten GillibrandDemocrat · New York
Raphael WarnockDemocrat · Georgia
Peter WelchDemocrat · Vermont