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An Act To Protect Maine Citizens' Credit
Be it enacted by the People of the State of Maine as follows:
Sec. 1.  9-A MRSA §5-116-A  is enacted to read:
§ 5-116-A. Debts owed to health care providers
 
1.  Definition of "health care provider."   For purposes of this section, "health care provider" means a physician, health care practitioner, hospital, clinic, clinical laboratory, health care facility or other person or facility that provides health care services and is licensed or registered by the State.
 
2.  Agreement by or on behalf of health care provider.   An agreement by a health care provider, or by a debt collector on behalf of a health care provider, to accept partial payments over time without assessment of interest from a consumer on a debt for health care services is not a consumer credit transaction as defined by section 1-301, subsection 12.
 
3.  Disclosure of available payment arrangements.   A health care provider shall notify a consumer of the availability of any payment arrangements offered by the health care provider to satisfy a debt for health care services.
 
4.  Rehabilitation of defaulted medical debt.   A payment arrangement offered by a health care provider must provide a consumer the opportunity to reasonably rehabilitate, cure or remedy a defaulted status of a debt for health care services under terms and conditions established by the health care provider, including, but not limited to, making payment in full or making 6 consecutive monthly payments in a timely manner.
 
Effective 90 days following adjournment of the 124th Legislature, Second Regular Session, unless otherwise indicated.