Senate Bill S8373

2023-2024 Legislative Session

Relates to the definition of medical debt

download bill text pdf

Sponsored By

Current Bill Status - On Floor Calendar

  • Introduced
    • In Committee Assembly
    • In Committee Senate
    • On Floor Calendar Assembly
    • On Floor Calendar Senate
    • Passed Assembly
    • Passed Senate
  • Delivered to Governor
  • Signed By Governor

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Bill Amendments

2023-S8373 - Details

Law Section:
General Business Law
Laws Affected:
Amd §380-a, Gen Bus L

2023-S8373 - Summary

Exempts credit card debt from the definition of medical debt unless the credit card is issued under an open-ended or closed-ended plan offered specifically for the payment of health care services, products, or devices provided to a person.

2023-S8373 - Sponsor Memo

2023-S8373 - Bill Text download pdf 

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   8373
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 24, 2024
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  RIVERA -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Consumer Protection
 
 AN ACT to amend the general business law, in relation to the  definition
   of medical debt
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

   Section 1. Subdivision (v) of section 380-a of  the  general  business
 law,  as added by chapter 727 of the laws of 2023, is amended to read as
 follows:
   (v) The term "medical debt" means any obligation or alleged obligation
 of a consumer to pay any amount whatsoever related  to  the  receipt  of
 health  care  services,  products,  or  devices  provided  by a hospital
 licensed under article twenty-eight of the public health law,  a  health
 care  professional authorized under title eight of the education law, or
 an ambulance service certified under article thirty of the public health
 law. MEDICAL DEBT DOES NOT INCLUDE DEBT CHARGED TO A CREDIT CARD  UNLESS
 THE CREDIT CARD IS ISSUED UNDER AN OPEN-ENDED OR CLOSED-END PLAN OFFERED
 SPECIFICALLY  FOR  THE  PAYMENT  OF  HEALTH  CARE SERVICES, PRODUCTS, OR
 DEVICES PROVIDED TO A PERSON.
   § 2. This act shall take effect on the  same  date  and  in  the  same
 manner as chapter 727 of the laws of 2023 amending the public health law
 and  the  general business law relating to prohibiting medical debt from
 being collected by a consumer reporting agency or included in a consumer
 report, takes effect.
 
 
 
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD13925-01-3

co-Sponsors

2023-S8373A (ACTIVE) - Details

Law Section:
General Business Law
Laws Affected:
Amd §380-a, Gen Bus L

2023-S8373A (ACTIVE) - Summary

Exempts credit card debt from the definition of medical debt unless the credit card is issued under an open-ended or closed-ended plan offered specifically for the payment of health care services, products, or devices provided to a person.

2023-S8373A (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2023-S8373A (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf 

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                  8373--A
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 24, 2024
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  RIVERA -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee  on  Consumer  Protection  --
   recommitted to the Committee on Consumer Protection in accordance with
   Senate  Rule  6, sec. 8 -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered
   reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee

 AN ACT to amend the general business law and the public health  law,  in
   relation to the definition of medical debt
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Subdivision (v) of section 380-a of  the  general  business
 law,  as added by chapter 727 of the laws of 2023, is amended to read as
 follows:
   (v) The term "medical debt" means any obligation or alleged obligation
 of a consumer to pay any amount whatsoever related  to  the  receipt  of
 health  care  services,  products,  or  devices  provided  by a hospital
 licensed under article twenty-eight of the public health law,  a  health
 care  professional authorized under title eight of the education law, or
 an ambulance service certified under article thirty of the public health
 law. MEDICAL DEBT DOES NOT INCLUDE DEBT CHARGED TO A CREDIT CARD  UNLESS
 THE  CREDIT  CARD  IS  ISSUED  UNDER  AN OPEN-ENDED OR CLOSED-ENDED PLAN
 OFFERED SPECIFICALLY FOR THE PAYMENT OF HEALTH CARE SERVICES,  PRODUCTS,
 OR DEVICES PROVIDED TO A PERSON.
   §  2. Subdivision 1 of section 4925 of the public health law, as added
 by chapter 727 of the laws of 2023, is amended to read as follows:
   1. "Medical debt" means an  obligation  or  alleged  obligation  of  a
 consumer  to  pay any amount whatsoever related to the receipt of health
 care services, products, or devices provided to a person by  a  hospital
 licensed  under  article  twenty-eight  of  this  chapter, a health care
 professional authorized under title eight of the  education  law  or  an
 ambulance  service  certified  under  article  thirty  of  this chapter.
 Medical debt does not include debt charged to a credit card  unless  the
 credit  card  is issued under an open-ended or [closed-end] CLOSED-ENDED
 plan offered specifically for  the  payment  of  health  care  services,
 products, or devices provided to a person.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.

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