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LD 558

An Act To Strengthen Consumer Protections By Prohibiting The Report Of Medical Debt On Consumer Reports

132nd Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by Donna Bailey and 5 co-sponsors

Prohibits reporting medical debt on consumer/credit reports, shielding borrowers’ credit from medical bills and limiting bureaus, providers, and lenders' use of such data.

Signed by Governor
#debtcollection #financialpractices #medicaldebt
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Bill Summary · LD 558

LD 558 — An Act To Strengthen Consumer Protections by Prohibiting the Report of Medical Debt on Consumer Reports

Status: Signed by Governor (June 9, 2025)
Introduced: February 19, 2025
Committee: Health Coverage, Insurance and Financial Services
Subject: Debt collection; financial practices; medical debt

Purpose / Intent

The bill’s stated purpose is to strengthen consumer protections by prohibiting the reporting of medical debt on consumer reports (commonly understood to mean credit reports). The policy intent is to prevent medical bills and related collection accounts from affecting consumers’ credit histories and scores.

Key provisions (summary of available information)

  • Prohibition on reporting medical debt on consumer reports. The central substantive change is a statutory bar on including medical debt on consumer reporting products.
  • The bill was amended (Committee Amendment “A” (S‑151)) and that amended version was the one passed and signed. The precise text of the amendment and full statutory language are not contained in the provided documents; readers should review the enrolled bill for exact legal language and any definitions, exceptions, or implementation details.
  • Multiple fiscal notes for successive versions (preliminary, as amended, and engrossed with C “A” (S‑151)) state: “No fiscal impact.”

Who would be affected

  • Consumers: Individuals with medical bills would generally be protected from having those debts appear on consumer/credit reports, which could influence credit scores and lending decisions.
  • Consumer reporting agencies (credit bureaus): Would be restricted from placing medical debt information on consumer reports.
  • Furnishers and debt collectors (including hospitals, providers, collection agencies): Would be prohibited from furnishing medical debt information to consumer reporting agencies for reporting purposes; this could alter collection and revenue-recovery practices.
  • Lenders, insurers, employers and others who review credit reports: Would no longer have medical debt data available on consumer reports for credit decisions, underwriting, or background checks.
  • State and local government: Fiscal notes indicate no anticipated fiscal impact on the State.

Procedural / timeline highlights

  • Feb 19, 2025: Bill introduced and referred to committee.
  • April–May 2025: Work sessions, committee amendment (A) adopted; reported out “OTP‑AM” (ought to pass as amended).
  • May 28–29, 2025: Readings and passage to be engrossed as amended; concurrence and final legislative passage.
  • June 2, 2025: Passed to be enacted; ordered sent forthwith.
  • June 9, 2025: Signed by the Governor.
  • Fiscal notes for the original, amended, and engrossed versions (approved 3/4/25, 4/18/25, 5/29/25) all state “No fiscal impact.”

Notes / next steps for readers

  • This summary is based on the bill title, procedural history and fiscal notes provided. For the authoritative legal text, including definitions, exceptions, enforcement mechanisms, and the exact statutory amendments, consult the enrolled bill or the Maine Legislature website (search LD 558 / LR 718).
  • The effective date of the law is not specified in the documents supplied here; check the enacted statute or the enrolled bill for when the prohibition becomes effective.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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