In most states, if someone repeatedly hasn't paid a medical bill, collectors can eventually go to that person's employer and garnish their paycheck – which means that they withhold a portion of that person's earnings to pay off the debt.
Critics of wage garnishment say it disproportionately affects lower income patients.
Now a bill under consideration at the state capitol would effectively prevent debt collectors from doing this – and would make Colorado one of the few states in the U.S.to ban wage garnishment for medical debt.
But some opponents say that could ultimately drive up the cost of healthcare for everyone.
Rae Ellen Bichell is Colorado correspondent for KFF Health News, which covers healthcare policy. She spoke with Erin O'Toole about why the practice is controversial, and how this proposal might affect it.
