Washington State Governor Jay Inslee signed a bill on Tuesday that will protect consumers by prolonging the time period given to pay medical bills before they’re sent to collections.
Under House Bill 1531, medical providers would be required to wait 120 days before assigning unpaid bills to collection agencies. After that, collection agencies would be prohibited from providing information to credit bureaus for an additional 180 days. The bill would also provide more information to consumers about their medical debt.