The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau moved on Tuesday to ban medical debt from appearing on credit reports, potentially lifting the credit scores of about 15 million Americans and making it easier for them to obtain loans.
Impact of the New Rule
The finalized new rule would effectively prohibit loan providers from using medical information while making lending decisions. It is set to take effect 60 days after publication in the federal register, but with President-elect Donald J. Trump returning to office this month, its future remains in question.
Benefits for Consumers
The bureau has found that having medical debt on a credit report is not a good predictor of whether a borrower will repay a loan, and that consumers frequently report receiving inaccurate bills. Biden administration officials said that the change could result in the approval of thousands of additional affordable mortgages each year, and that Americans with medical debt on their credit reports could see their credit scores increase by an average of 20 points.
“People who get sick shouldn’t have their financial future upended,” Rohit Chopra, the bureau’s director, said in a statement. “The C.F.P.B.’s final rule will close a special carve-out that has allowed debt collectors to abuse the credit reporting system to coerce people into paying medical bills they may not even owe.”
