Bipartisan legislation recently introduced by U.S. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) would prevent delays in reimbursements for medical bills from damaging veterans’ credit ratings.
The Protecting Veterans’ Credit Act would prevent medical debt from being reported to credit agencies for a year in cases when veterans receive care through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Veterans Choice program.
“No veteran should have to worry about a lower credit rating and all the costs associated with it because of delays in payment and processing from the VA,” Rounds said. “Our legislation makes certain that veterans do not suffer financial hardship – through no fault of their own – when they choose to use a private health provider through the Choice program. Our veterans should be focused on proper treatment and recovery; not whether receiving care will affect their credit rating.”
Veterans who receive care through the Veterans Choice program have been inappropriately billed for services due to the VA failing to make timely payments to providers.
Alan Balch, the CEO of the National Patient Advocate Foundation and Patient Advocate Foundation, said that medical debt can be a disaster for patients and families.
“No one deserves to be a casualty of the effects of medical debt, but veterans least of all,” Balch said. “The provisions in the Protecting Veterans Credit Act will help defend our veterans from the toxicity of medical debt and its long-term impacts, and ensure they do not suffer a credit loss incurred through no fault of their own when fighting an unpredictable or unforeseen illness. A lowered credit rating or bankruptcy should never be the collateral damage of a veteran seeking medical care.”