District of Columbia Medical Bill Help

Can I get my bill reduced in the District of Columbia?

The District of Columbia has no state charity-care law. Nonprofit hospitals must follow the federal rules, and each hospital has its own policy: ask for it and for the application.

Who can get help

D.C. law does not yet set income levels for free or discounted hospital care. The Medical Debt Mitigation Amendment Act of 2026 (D.C. Law 26-172) will require free care at or below 200% of the poverty level and discounts up to 500% at facilities that must have a financial assistance policy, but it starts only 6 months after its cost is included in an approved D.C. budget, which has not happened yet.

Law: D.C. Code 44-405(a); D.C. Law 26-172, sec. 2, 6

Is my debt too old in the District of Columbia?

Kind of agreement	Time limit to sue
Written contract	3 years
Open account	3 years
Oral (spoken) agreement	3 years

A lawsuit to collect a consumer debt (including a medical bill) filed on or after September 1, 2021 must be filed within 3 years after the claim accrues, whether it is based on a contract, an account stated, an open account or something else, and even for a contract under seal. A creditor or collector may not sue when it knows or should know the time limit has passed.

What can restart the clock

No. Once the time limit has run out, a payment or a written or spoken promise to pay does not extend it.

When the clock starts

3 years from accrual.

Law: D.C. Code 28-3814(f)(10), (l), (o); D.C. Code 12-301(7)

A time limit to sue can differ by kind of agreement, and when it starts and what restarts it can differ; a court decides.

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Can they sue me or report it in the District of Columbia?

Credit reports

No state limit

D.C. has no ban in force today on reporting medical debt to credit bureaus. Under the Medical Debt Mitigation Amendment Act of 2026, once it applies, health care providers and debt collectors may not report the amount or existence of any medical debt to a credit bureau.

Law: D.C. Law 26-172, sec. 3(a)(1)

Waiting rules

D.C. has no waiting period in force today that applies only to medical bills. General D.C. consumer debt rules apply to collectors and creditors, including a 3-year limit for lawsuits and detailed requirements for collection lawsuits. When D.C. Law 26-172 applies, providers and collectors may not start collecting a medical debt until 180 days after you receive the first bill, must give at least 90 days' notice first, and may not collect while an insurance appeal is pending or within 90 days after.

Interest

No medical-debt interest cap is in force today. When D.C. Law 26-172 applies, interest on medical debt may not be more than 3% a year, and none may be charged on debt from a covered facility while you are getting financial assistance and not in default.

Liens on your home

No medical-specific rule is in force today. When D.C. Law 26-172 applies, a health care provider or debt collector may not file a lien on your primary home to collect medical debt. A hospital's lien on an accident injury award will be capped at 33% of the award.

Wage garnishment

No medical-specific rule is in force today. D.C. law already limits wage garnishment more than federal law: only 25% of the part of your weekly take-home pay above 40 times the D.C. minimum hourly wage can be taken. When D.C. Law 26-172 applies, wages may not be garnished for medical debt if your household income is under 500% of the federal poverty level.

Selling the debt

No limit in force today. When D.C. Law 26-172 applies, providers and collectors may not sell or refer a medical debt to a debt buyer while an insurance appeal is pending or within 90 days after, and a sold debt keeps its payment plan terms.

Lawsuit rules

For any consumer debt, including medical debt, a creditor or collector suing in D.C. must meet the D.C. consumer debt lawsuit rules, and the court must check on its own that they were met before entering judgment; it may dismiss the case if they were not. When D.C. Law 26-172 applies, a court will not be able to renew (revive) an old judgment for medical debt.

Law: D.C. Code 28-3814(o)-(t), 16-572; D.C. Law 26-172, sec. 3-5

Payment plans and interest in the District of Columbia

No D.C. payment plan rule for medical bills is in force today. When D.C. Law 26-172 applies, covered facilities must offer patients approved for reduced-cost care a payment plan of no more than 3% of monthly household income, with the first payment due at least 30 days after discharge, and may not sue until 90 days after the plan is declared in default.

Law: D.C. Law 26-172, sec. 2(c)

Surprise bills and ambulance bills in the District of Columbia

Ground ambulance

No state limit listed

The District of Columbia has no state limit on ground ambulance bills that we list here. The federal No Surprises Act generally does not cover ground ambulances either, so ask the ambulance company about financial assistance and a payment plan.

Itemized bills and price estimates in the District of Columbia

No general D.C. itemized-bill right is in force today. When D.C. Law 26-172 applies, covered facilities must give patients approved for reduced-cost care an itemized bill along with information about a payment plan.

Price estimates

When D.C. Law 26-172 applies, a covered facility must give you, before non-emergency care, a good faith estimate of the cost if you are uninsured, or of your cost sharing if you are insured.

Law: D.C. Law 26-172, sec. 2(c)

Health coverage and Medicaid in the District of Columbia

DC Medicaid is the District of Columbia's Medicaid program. Apply for it here:

Apply: DC Medicaid · (202) 727-5355

Where to complain in the District of Columbia

Attorney general: Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia, Office of Consumer Protection · (202) 442-9828
A debt collector, creditor or business used unfair or deceptive practices, including in collecting a medical bill.
Health insurance: D.C. Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking (DISB), Consumer Services Division · (202) 727-8000
Problems with a health insurer regulated in D.C., such as a denied claim.
Health plan problems: D.C. Office of the Health Care Ombudsman and Bill of Rights · (877) 685-6391
Help with health coverage problems, denials, appeals and medical bills.

Free help in the District of Columbia

Free tools, letters and checklist

Good to know in the District of Columbia

D.C. enacted the Medical Debt Mitigation Amendment Act of 2026 (D.C. Law 26-172, effective Aug. 20, 2026), but it applies only 6 months after its cost is included in an approved budget and financial plan, so the D.C. Code marks its sections 'Not Funded'.
Law: D.C. Law 26-172, sec. 6(a)
Any D.C. consumer debt lawsuit, including on a medical bill, must be filed within 3 years, even if the contract is under seal.
Law: D.C. Code 28-3814(o)

Changes in 2024–2026

August 20, 2026: the Medical Debt Mitigation Amendment Act of 2026 (D.C. Law 26-172, Bill 26-438) became law. It will apply 6 months after its cost is funded in an approved budget. When it applies, facilities required to have a financial assistance policy must give free care at or below 200% of the poverty level and cut out-of-pocket costs (based on amounts generally billed) by 75% for incomes above 200% to 300%, 60% above 300% to 400%, and 40% above 400% to 500%; must let patients apply for up to 240 days after the first bill (or any time during collections, which must then stop) and decide within 30 days; must screen uninsured patients and people on SNAP, WIC, TANF, school lunch, LIHEAP, Medicaid or DC Healthcare Alliance, and people experiencing homelessness; and may not consider assets or immigration status. It also bans reporting medical debt to credit bureaus, caps medical-debt interest at 3%, bars liens on a primary home and wage garnishment below 500% of the poverty level, requires a 180-day wait and 90-day notice before collection, and limits medical credit cards.

Questions about medical bills in the District of Columbia

How long can a medical bill be collected or sued on in the District of Columbia?