Medical debt and credit reports in Maryland
Maryland law bans medical debt from credit reports.
A person whose main business is providing medical services, products or devices, or that person's agent or assignee, may not report any part of a medical debt to a credit bureau, and contracts with collectors or debt buyers must forbid it.
Checked against official sources: October 30, 2026.
The rule in Maryland
Full ban
A person whose main business is providing medical services, products or devices, or that person's agent or assignee, may not report any part of a medical debt to a credit bureau, and contracts with collectors or debt buyers must forbid it. Credit bureaus may not make reports that include adverse information about medical debt or collection actions on it, or keep that information in your file, no matter when the debt was incurred. No one may use medical debt on a credit report to decide your creditworthiness. Debt on a regular credit card does not count as medical debt (a card only for health care does).
Who the rule covers: Both: medical providers and their agents or assignees (including collectors and debt buyers) may not send medical debt to a credit bureau, and credit bureaus may not report it or keep it in your file
In effect since: October 1, 2025
It covers both paid and unpaid debt.
Law: Md. Code, Commercial Law 14-1213; Health-General 24-2501, 24-2502 (2025 Md. Laws ch. 121, HB 1020)
Other limits on collection in Maryland
- Waiting rules
Wait before a lawsuit: 240 days after the first bill
A hospital may not sue you over a hospital bill for at least 240 days after the first bill, and may not sue at all if you owe $500 or less. After the 240 days, it must send you a written notice of intent to sue at least 45 days before filing, by certified and first-class mail, with a financial assistance application, information about an income-based payment plan and the information sheet. The hospital may not sue you or send the bill to a collector while it knows an insurance appeal or review is pending (or within 60 days after), while it is processing your request to reconsider a financial assistance denial, or within 60 days after finishing that review. It must first decide whether you qualify for financial assistance and make a good-faith effort to offer a payment plan.
- Liens on your home
A hospital may not force the sale or foreclosure of your primary home or ask for a lien on it to collect a hospital bill. For any medical debt, a lien on a home you own and live in may not be created by a contract or because you did not pay under a contract; a court must remove such a lien. A lawsuit asking for money must say whether the debt is medical debt and give your home address.
- Wage garnishment
A hospital may not garnish your wages for a hospital bill if you qualify for free or reduced-cost care. For other debts, Maryland protects the greater of 75% of your take-home wages or 30 times the state minimum hourly wage for each week of the pay period, plus medical insurance deducted from your pay.
- Selling the debt
A hospital may not sell patient debt, except to a government unit, its contractor or a 501(c)(3) nonprofit only to cancel it. That debt must be at least 2 years old and belong to a person at or below 500% of the poverty level or with medical debt over 5% of family income. You owe nothing on a debt sold this way, and the hospital must dismiss any pending lawsuit on it.
- Lawsuit rules
A hospital's lawsuit must include a sworn statement that the 240 days passed, the notice of intent to sue was sent, you got the financial assistance information sheet and notice, the hospital decided whether you qualify for financial assistance and it tried in good faith to offer a payment plan. It must attach the original or certified bill, the most recent bill, a sworn statement of the balance and a copy of the notice. A hospital may not ask a court for a body attachment or arrest warrant against you, and may not claim against a deceased patient's estate if the patient was known to qualify for free care or the estate is worth less than half the debt. A spouse or other adult is not liable for an adult patient's hospital bill unless they signed a separate consent, not in an emergency.
Law: Md. Code, Health-General 19-214.2; Real Property 14-203.1; Courts & Judicial Proceedings 11-402; Commercial Law 15-601.1; COMAR 10.37.13.04, 10.37.13.05
Is my debt too old in Maryland?
| Kind of agreement | Time limit to sue |
|---|---|
| Written contract | 3 years |
| Open account | 3 years |
| Oral (spoken) agreement | 3 years |
Most civil lawsuits, including on a contract or an account, must be filed within 3 years. Maryland gives 12 years for a contract under seal, but that longer period does not apply to a consumer's contract with a hospital for hospital services. A creditor or collector may not sue on a consumer debt after the time limit has run out.
- What can restart the clock
No. After the time limit runs out, a payment, a written or spoken promise, or any other activity on the debt does not revive or extend it. A separate written payment agreement made before the deadline can have its own time limit.
- When the clock starts
The 3 years run from the date the claim accrues.
Law: Md. Code, Courts & Judicial Proceedings 5-101, 5-102(c)(3), 5-1202
A time limit to sue can differ by kind of agreement, and when it starts and what restarts it can differ; a court decides.
Where to complain in Maryland
- Hospital bills and financial assistance: Health Services Cost Review Commission (HSCRC) · 410-764-2605
A hospital did not follow Maryland's financial assistance, payment plan, billing or debt collection rules. Complaints go by email to hscrc.patient-complaints@maryland.gov. - Attorney general: Maryland Attorney General, Health Education and Advocacy Unit (HEAU) · 410-528-1840 (toll free 1-877-261-8807)
Help with a medical bill dispute, a financial assistance reconsideration request or a surprise bill; it can file a complaint jointly with the HSCRC and mediate. - Health insurance: Maryland Insurance Administration · 1-800-492-6116
Problems with a state-regulated health insurer or HMO, including balance bills and ambulance bills. - Debt collectors: Maryland Office of Financial Regulation · 410-230-6077
A collection agency broke Maryland collection rules.
Questions about medical bills in Maryland
Can medical debt be reported to credit bureaus in Maryland?
Maryland law bans medical debt from credit reports. A person whose main business is providing medical services, products or devices, or that person's agent or assignee, may not report any part of a medical debt to a credit bureau, and contracts with collectors or debt buyers must forbid it.
How long can a medical bill be collected or sued on in Maryland?
Most civil lawsuits, including on a contract or an account, must be filed within 3 years. Maryland gives 12 years for a contract under seal, but that longer period does not apply to a consumer's contract with a hospital for hospital services.