Medical debt is a major issue for millions of Americans, often leading to ruined credit scores even when the bills themselves are inaccurate or illegal. The 'No Surprises Act' was passed to stop hospitals from sending unexpected, massive bills to patients for things like out-of-network anesthesiologists. However, those protections only work if debt collectors are held accountable for trying to collect them anyway.

If this bill becomes law, it forces the government to keep its 2022 guidance active. Without this bill, the withdrawal of that guidance could leave a 'gray area' where debt collectors might feel more comfortable pressuring patients for illegal payments or dinging their credit scores for disputed medical costs.