PROVIDENCE – Sen. Jacob E. Bissaillon, D-Providence, has introduced legislation to prohibit the attachment of liens against Rhode Islanders’ homes because of medical debt.
The measure is part of a nine-bill legislative package that the Senate leadership is backing to remove administrative requirements that present barriers to patient care, protect patients from medical debt, improve access and lower costs, the senator said.
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The bill – S0169 – would protect the “principal residence” of those facing medical debt, according to Bissaillon. After being introduced on Feb. 5, the measure was referred to the Senate Commerce Committee.
“Rhode Island faces a health care crisis and a housing crisis, but no Rhode Islander should have to endure both at once,” Bissaillon said in a news release. “For a person already struggling with illness, the threat of losing their home due to medical debt is not just cruel – it is a failure of our system to protect the most vulnerable among us.
“This legislation draws a clear line: a Rhode Islander’s home should never be collateral for medical misfortune. Medical debt is rarely a choice, yet it is one of the leading causes of bankruptcy in this country. We cannot allow a person’s financial hardship to strip them of the very stability they need to rebuild their life. We must do more to lower patient costs, but we must also take action now to ensure that no one loses their home due to medical debt.”
Bissaillon introduced a similar bill in 2024. It was passed by the Senate in June, but it did not get beyond the House Judiciary Committee after it was transmitted to the other chamber.
Medical bills are among the top reasons underlying bankruptcy among Americans, Bissaillon said. A 2019 National Institutes of Health study found that 66.5% of bankruptcy filers who responded indicated that medical expenses or problems contributed to their bankruptcy.
Co-sponsors of the bill include Senate President Dominick J. Ruggerio, D-North Providence; Sen. David P. Tikoian, D-Smithfield; Matthew L. LaMountain, D-Warwick; Sen. Valarie J. Lawson, D-East Providence; and Sen. Melissa Murray, D-Woonsocket.
