Briel Bill Now Law: Protecting Patients from Medical Debt

OTTAWA, Ill. – A measure to ensure Illinois patients with medical debt are protected from aggressive hospital collection tactics is now law, thanks to successful work by state Rep. Amy “Murri” Briel, D-Ottawa, who championed the bipartisan measure through the Illinois legislature this spring.

“When statistics show that half of Americans struggle with paying their medical bills, on top of too many families struggling to put food on the table, it’s absolutely critical that enormous hospital networks, some amounting to billions in revenue every year, have strict checks in place so families can stay in their hard-earned homes,” said Briel. “Homeowners have rights—this bill protects them.”

Medical debt is now the largest source of consumer debt collection and one of the leading causes of bankruptcy nationwide, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. 

Briel introduced House Bill 4461 this spring to address local constituent concerns of aggressive hospital collection actions, including liens being placed on homes of families with medical debt as low as $2,000. Briel’s bill effectively prohibits any Illinois hospital from pursuing liens on a patient’s primary residence during legal action should the patient have accrued medical debt—a significant protection given nearly half of U.S. adults nationwide find it difficult to afford healthcare, according to the National Library of Medicine. 

“Medical debt is all too common—more likely than not, you either know someone in medical debt or you’ve experienced it yourself,” said Briel. “This puts power and protection back into Illinois patients’ pockets. A hospital visit can already stretch families to the brink. In no world should an emergency visit result in a hardworking family losing their home.” 

House Bill 4461 was signed by Gov. Pritzker Friday and is effective Jan. 1, 2027.