DelawareLaw bars large health-care facilities from taking patients' belongings
The law bars large health-care facilities from taking patients' personal property for medical debt and requires collectors to identify their role in court papers.
What it does
Large health-care facilities may not take patients' personal belongings to collect medical debt.
Anyone collecting medical debt must identify their role in court papers. Missing or incorrect information violates the law and can lead to legal remedies.
Argument forPatients could keep personal belongings that a large health-care facility might otherwise levy on to collect medical debt.
Argument againstCollectors could face legal remedies if they leave out required court information or report their role incorrectly.
More detail
Large health-care facilities may not levy on a patient's personal property to collect medical debt. The ban concerns debts owed for health-care services and applies to large health-care facilities.
A party collecting medical debt must state its role in court papers. This applies to any party taking action to collect medical debt. The party must say whether it is a medical creditor, a medical debt collector, or neither. Leaving this out or reporting it incorrectly violates the law and makes the party subject to available legal remedies.
Where do you stand?
Choose your position
Tell your reps
Take a position to see your representatives and ways to contact them.
Where it stands
- Introduced
- Passed Senate
- Passed House
- To Governor
- Became Law
Looking ahead
No hearings or votes scheduled.
History
- 2026
- Aug 31Signed by Governor Matt MeyerBecame Law
- Jul 1Passed By House. Votes: 40 YES 1 ABSENTPassed House
- Vote recorded Passage. Result: pass.Lower
- Jun 30Reported Out of Committee (Administration) in House with 5 On Its MeritsMinor
- Jun 24Assigned to Administration Committee in HouseMinor
- Jun 23Passed By Senate. Votes: 21 YESPassed Senate
- Vote recorded Passage. Result: pass.Upper
- Jun 17Reported Out of Committee (Banking, Business, Insurance & Technology) in Senate with 2 Favorable, 6 On Its MeritsMinor
- Jun 17Reported Out of Committee (Banking, Business, Insurance & Technology) in Senate with 2 Favorable, 6 On Its MeritsMinor
- Jun 16Introduced and Assigned to Banking, Business, Insurance & Technology Committee in SenateIntroduced
Consumer Protection