A new California law kicked in earlier this year that keeps delinquent medical debt from appearing on a credit report. The federal government says this is not allowed.

At risk are the credit scores of millions of Americans who are behind on medical bills.

How did we get here?

Here’s a quick summary of what is a complicated chain of events.

January - The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau finalized a rule removing medical debt from credit reports. California also adopted a new law that month, accomplishing the same thing.

July - A federal judge blocked the federal rule.

Oct. 28 - The CFPB published an interpretive rule saying states do not have the authority to enact a law like California’s, and more than a dozen other states'.

However, the National Consumer Law Center says the

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