Prof. Jean Sanderson Quoted in Star Tribune About a Bill to Protect Widowed Spouses from Unaffordable Medical Debts

Professor Jean Sanderson was quoted in the Star Tribune about a bill in the Minnesota state legislature that would help protect widowed spouses who are currently responsible for unaffordable medical debts. While providers could still pursue debts through the estates of deceased patients, they couldn’t pursue widowed spouses through collections activities, lawsuits or wage garnishment. Lawmakers seek to reverse a law passed in 2001 that held these individuals responsible for the debts. Prof. Sanderson said similar statutes to the one being considered now eliminated spousal liability for medical debts in 1997 and then “whoops, four years later it was back again.”