Plan would Restrict Nevada Hospitals' Debt Collections

http://www.insidearm.com/news/00014536-plan-would-restrict-nevada-hospitals-debt/

The Speaker of the Nevada General Assembly, Barbara Buckley, introduced a bill Monday that would place restrictions on the way hospitals in the state charge interest and collect on delinquent medical bills.

The bill, A.B. 247 in the Nevada Assembly, states that a hospital cannot charge interest until 30 days have lapsed since the patient received the bill demanding payment. And when the hospital does charge interest, it can charge no more than prime plus 2%.

Add-on charges, such as collection and attorney costs, would be prohibited under the bill. The bill would also limit the time a hospital can go after old debts to two years, a de facto statute of limitations on medical debt.