§ 14-1213

Maryland § 14-1213

• Jurisdiction: Maryland
• Article gcl: Commercial Law
• Title: 14

Text

(a) (1) In this section, “medical debt” means debt owed by a consumer to:

(i) A person whose primary business is providing medical services, products, or devices; or

(ii) The person’s agent or assignee for the provision of medical services, products, or devices.

(2) “Medical debt” includes medical bills that:

(i) Are not past due; or

(ii) Have already been paid.

(3) “Medical debt” does not include debt charged to a credit card unless the credit card is issued under an open–end or closed–end credit plan offered solely for the payment of health care services.

(b) (1) A consumer reporting agency may not:

(i) Make, create, or furnish any consumer report containing, incorporating, or reflecting:

1. Any adverse information that the consumer reporting agency knows or should know relates to medical debt incurred by the consumer; or

2. Any collection action against a consumer to collect medical debt; or

(ii) Maintain in a file on a consumer any information relating to:

1. Medical debt incurred by the consumer; or

2. Any collection action against the consumer to collect medical debt.

(2) The prohibitions established under paragraph (1) of this subsection apply regardless of when medical debt was incurred by a consumer.

(c) A person may not use medical debt information included in a consumer report to make a determination regarding the creditworthiness of the consumer.