Florida legislators in at least eight states have introduced bills this year to restrict or ban wage garnishment as a tool for collecting unpaid medical bills, a practice that is currently legal in most of the country.
The push follows a KFF Health News investigation that found courts approved wage garnishment in an estimated 14,000 medical debt cases annually in Colorado alone. The investigation revealed that a wide range of health care providers — including small rural hospitals, physician groups, and public ambulance services — have pursued the practice, and that errors in billing can result in patients losing wages they don’t actually owe.
Bills have been introduced in Colorado, Hawaii, Indiana, Maine, Michigan, Ohio, and Washington. A Florida measure calling for broader health care protections was also filed but is considered unlikely to advance in the Republican-led legislature before the session ends March 13.
Supporters argue that wage garnishment is uniquely coercive because it removes money directly from paychecks before workers can allocate it to other necessities. They also note that people can lose their jobs if they accumulate multiple garnishment orders. Proposed measures vary in scope: some would ban wage garnishment for medical debt entirely, while others would raise the income threshold below which earnings are protected.
Opponents, including the debt collection industry, contend that the garnishment process is already regulated and that restricting it could threaten the financial viability of medical providers, particularly rural facilities. A spokesperson for the Colorado Hospital Association said the pending Colorado bill could make it harder to keep hospitals sustainable.
The legislative activity comes as the Trump administration has rolled back some federal protections against medical debt, and more Americans are enrolling in high-deductible health insurance plans that can leave them exposed to large bills.
Follow the St. Pete-Clearwater Sun on Facebook, Google, & X
St. Pete-Clearwater Sun: local St. Pete-Clearwater news at PIE-Sun.com
St. Pete-Clearwater Sun 
Leave a comment