Woonsocket Radio News Room

 

Bissaillon bill would prohibit home liens for medical debt

Legislation is part of Senate’s 2025 health care package

 

STATE HOUSE –Sen. Jacob E. Bissaillon has introduced legislation to prohibit the attachment of liens against Rhode Islanders’ homes because of medical debt.

The measure is part of a nine-bill legislative package that the Senate leadership is backing to remove burdensome administrative requirements that present barriers to patient care, protect patients from crushing medical debt, improve access and lower costs.

The bill (2025-S 0169) would protect the principal residence of those facing medical debt.

“Rhode Island faces a health care crisis and a housing crisis, but no Rhode Islander should have to endure both at once. For a person already struggling with illness, the threat of losing their home due to medical debt is not just cruel—it is a failure of our system to protect the most vulnerable among us,” said Senator Bissaillon (D-Dist. 1, Providence). “This legislation draws a clear line: a Rhode Islander’s home should never be collateral for medical misfortune. Medical debt is rarely a choice, yet it is one of the leading causes of bankruptcy in this country. We cannot allow a person’s financial hardship to strip them of the very stability they need to rebuild their life. We must do more to lower patient costs, but we must also take action now to ensure that no one loses their home due to medical debt.”

Senator Bissaillon introduced the bill in 2024 as well, when it passed the Senate late in the legislative session.

Medical bills are among the top reasons underlying bankruptcy among Americans. A 2019 National Institute of Health study found that 66.5% of bankruptcy filers who responded indicated that medical expenses or problems contributed to their bankruptcy.

A federal judge is blocking parts of President Trump's executive orders targeting diversity, equity, and inclusion in the federal government. On Friday, the judge halted Trump's orders to cancel federal contracts concerning DEI, and his order to make government contractors prove they don't use DEI practices. The judge's injunction does not block the Department of Justice from making lists of companies and universities to investigate.        Hamas is releasing another set of human remains after Israel demanded they hand over the body of a mother taken hostage. Hamas released four bodies on Thursday, but Israel was outraged when the remains of Shiri Bibas were not among them. On Friday, the leader of Hamas said Bibas' remains have now been given to Israel.        The Supreme Court says it will prevent President Trump from firing the head of a top watchdog agency for now. Trump has been trying to fire Hampton Dellinger, who leads the Office of Special Counsel, but so far has been blocked by lower courts. On Friday, the Supreme Court neither granted nor denied Trump's request to fire Dellinger, instead saying they're choosing not to act because lower court proceedings are moving quickly.        The Trump administration is reversing its decision to make major cuts to the World Trade Center Health Program. The program provides medical treatment to over a-hundred-thousand first responders and survivors of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Officials say they're reinstating research grants that had been cut, and employees who were fired will be allowed to return to their jobs.        White House officials say federal aid for the Los Angeles wildfires will come with strings attached. In an interview with Politico, Trump envoy Richard Grenell said "The federal response is mostly money and so we are going to have strings on the money that we give to California." Grenell didn't specify what the conditions would be, but did say the California Coastal Commisison, which protects the state's coastlines, should be "defunded."        Hackers have made away with one-point-five-billion-dollars in the largest crypto heist in history. Bybit, a major cryptocurrency exchange, announced the news Friday. The hackers compromised an offline storage system, and the stolen funds were quickly transferred and liquidated through various platforms.       

Old News Archives