From Newsweek article, "Medical Debt Will No Longer Affect Credit Scores for 300,000 Americans," by Aliss Higham:
On Tuesday, Governor Bob Ferguson signed legislation banning medical debt from appearing on credit reports into law, after the proposed bill passed both the Washington House and Senate.
According to an August 2024 report by Northwest Health Law Advocates, about six in 10 Washington adults could not pay an unexpected $500 medical bill, and about 30 percent said they lived in a household with medical debt, even if they had health insurance.
Fifty-seven percent of surveyed Washingtonians said they had avoided seeking medical treatment or modified their use of prescriptions in the prior year because of the cost.