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When Legal Matters Become Personal
One of the new consumer protection laws passed by the 2024 MN Legislature, is a prohibition of reporting medical debt. This takes effect October 1. Since the law appears to be targeted toward credit reporting agencies and debt collectors, I presume that this is...
In Minnesota, a spouse is liable for the medical and other necessary debts of their spouse, as long as they are living together at the time the debt is incurred, pursuant to Minn.Stat. § 519.05. This is regardless of whose name it is in. While hospitals will sometimes...
Like many states, Minnesota has a conciliation court, which is a user-friendly forum where disputes involving less than $15,000 can be resolved, most typically by a referee or judge. The case is typically done off the record, attorneys are typically not involved, and...
A law that went into effect November 1st, requires hospitals to apply discounts, and inform patients of charity care, before sending unpaid bills off for collections. It seems intuitive that hospitals would be motivated to do this, if there is an easy way for them to...
A recent study commissioned by the State Bar association showed that smaller medical debts are more likely to be pursued than larger debts. The article goes on to surmise that because they are so small, people don't fight them, and that there is a disproportionate...
It seems ironic that nobody needs to attend a budgeting class in order to go into debt, but in order to file bankruptcy and get out of debt, a person does need to attend a budgeting class. A recent article indicates that more and more states are now requiring...
Most large health institutions simply take it on the chin when you don't pay. They realize that if they stopped seeing their patients, then their patients will simply go to their competitors. While there is neither a law, nor an ethical rule, requiring that they...
A recent article noted that consumer credit card debt has spiked in the last two years, going from near all time lows to all time highs. Most people believe that this is due to the end of the pandemic stimulus payments, combined with inflationary pressures that have...
With increased inflation, usually comes increased interest rates. Those who can least afford it, particularly credit card borrowers and people with fixed incomes, are most vulnerable to these rate changes. A recent Washington Post article mentioned that with all of...
The Governor recently rescinded the Order made last May, which had precluded wage garnishment and bank levies. Garnishment of wages and levy of bank accounts may now take place in Minnesota, as long as the judgment was entered prior to May 4, 2020. The state...