# 119-hr-9670: Medical Bankruptcy Fairness Act of 2026

119-hr-9670, Medical Bankruptcy Fairness Act of 2026, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Rep. Cohen, Steve [D-TN-9] (D-TN); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-07-22).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9670
- As of: 2026-07-22
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-hr-9670
- Congress: 119
- Title: Medical Bankruptcy Fairness Act of 2026
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-07-14
- Sponsor: Rep. Cohen, Steve [D-TN-9] (D-TN)
- Cosponsors: 1
- Policy area: Finance and Financial Sector
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-07-22

## Summary

**Protects people with large medical bills by creating a new "medically distressed" category and targeted bankruptcy relief.** The bill would define medical debt and who counts as a medically distressed debtor and then give those debtors special exemptions and procedural waivers.

## Cosponsors (1)

- Rep. Carson, André [D-IN-7] (D-IN), 2026-07-14T00:00:00.000Z

## Provisions PRIA read

- Bankruptcy relief for big medical bills: benefit, high. If enacted, the bill would create a "medically distressed debtor" status for bankruptcy. You would qualify if, in the 3 years before filing, your unpaid medical bills exceed the lesser of 10% of your adjusted gross income or $10,000, or you have $10,000 or more in unmet medical-related domestic sup…
- Prevent medical bankruptcies on credit reports: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would bar consumer reporting agencies from including bankruptcies of medically distressed debtors in credit reports. The bill would define "medically distressed debtor" by cross-reference to the new bankruptcy definition. This would keep those bankruptcies out of the credit fil…
- New rules apply only to future filings: mixed, low. If enacted, the bill's bankruptcy changes would take effect on the date of enactment. The amendments would apply only to bankruptcy cases filed on or after that date. Cases filed before enactment would not be covered by the new rules.

## Related bills

- 119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025
- 119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act
- 119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act
- 119-hr-3971: Domestic Workers Bill of Rights Act
- 119-hr-3069: Medicare for All Act
- 119-hr-4457: Housing Is a Human Right Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-hr-9670 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/9670)

## Related
- [119-hr-3151: SHIPS for America Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3151)
- [119-hr-7977: Energy Bills Relief Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7977)
- [119-hr-7973: Momnibus Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-7973)
- [119-hr-3971: Domestic Workers Bill of Rights Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3971)
- [119-hr-3069: Medicare for All Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-3069)
- [119-hr-4457: Housing Is a Human Right Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-4457)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-hr-9670 (as of 2026-07-22).