Washington could exempt medical debt from credit reports
When Kristopher Shook was diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer at age 42, his only concern was beating it, no matter the cost. As a result, he accumulated hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt.
He was diagnosed with two types of lymphoma cancer — follicular lymphoma, an incurable cancer, and large B cell lymphoma, which is aggressive. He was only given a 15% chance of survival.
“There was no price tag on my life and I was willing to do whatever it took to survive,” Shook said. “I wasn’t concerned about the medical bills.”
The hospital gave him two years to pay off hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of debt. When he couldn’t pay it on time, the hospital sold it to a collections firm, which added 12% interest. Shook was threatened with lawsuits, wage garnishment, and court action.
https://washingtonstatestandard.com/2025/02/26/washington-could-exempt-medical-debt-from-credit-reports/