LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) — In Michigan, the most painful part of a hospital visit may come weeks later, prompting lawmakers to focus on medical debt collections.

A bipartisan, two-bill package in the Michigan Senate would tighten the rules governing how hospitals and debt collectors pursue unpaid medical bills. 

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The legislation would not reduce the cost of care itself, but it would restrict certain collection practices after a bill goes unpaid.

Sponsored by Sen. Sarah Anthony (D-Lansing) and Sen. Jonathan Lindsey (R-Coldwater), the bills would prohibit “extraordinary collection actions,” including wage garnishment, foreclosure, or arrest over medical debt. The package would also cap interest and late fees at 3%, delay interest charges for 90 days after a final bill, and bar hospitals from denying urgent care over unpaid balances.

The Senate package is tied to an identical, bipartisan effort in the House, meaning all four bills must pass before any can become law. 

Whether the Republican-led House will take up the legislation remains unclear.