# 119-s-4622: PATCH Act

119-s-4622, PATCH Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Kennedy, John [R-LA] (R-LA); status introduced; PRIA reads it as touching household money (as of 2026-07-25).

- Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4622
- As of: 2026-07-25
- Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts.

## Facts
- Bill: 119-s-4622
- Congress: 119
- Title: PATCH Act
- Status: introduced
- Introduced: 2026-05-21
- Sponsor: Sen. Kennedy, John [R-LA] (R-LA)
- Cosponsors: 0
- Policy area: Finance and Financial Sector
- Touches household money: yes
- Last recorded action: 2026-07-25

## Summary

**Limits the use of medical debt in credit reports and credit decisions.** This bill would amend the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) to define "medical debt" and to exclude adverse information tied to medical bills from standard consumer reporting. It would also direct the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to change rules so creditors cannot obtain or use medical debt information when deciding whether to extend credit. - Families and borrowers: Medical bills would be excluded from adverse information used in credit reports, limiting their role in credit scores and lending decisions. - Consumer reporting agencies: Could still collect medical debt records for some purposes, but the bill changes how that data is treated and shown in reports. - Creditors and regulators: The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau would have 1 year after enactment to amend rules to prohibit creditors from obtaining or using medical-debt information when making credit decisions.

## Provisions PRIA read

- Prevent medical debt from hurting credit: benefit, medium. If enacted, the bill would define medical debt as debt from medical services, products, or devices. It would keep adverse medical-debt items out of consumer credit reports, including bills sent to collections or charged off. Credit reporting agencies could still collect that information, but lender…

## Related bills

- 119-s-688: Fighting Foreign Illegal Seafood Harvests Act of 2025
- 119-s-4952: Protecting American Taxpayers Act
- 119-s-4378: Protecting American Taxpayers Act
- 119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act
- 119-s-4065: STAND with Taiwan Act of 2026
- 119-s-3492: Essential Caregivers Act of 2025

## Sources
- [119-s-4622 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/4622)

## Related
- [119-s-688: Fighting Foreign Illegal Seafood Harvests Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-688)
- [119-s-4952: Protecting American Taxpayers Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4952)
- [119-s-4378: Protecting American Taxpayers Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4378)
- [119-s-1748: Kids Online Safety Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1748)
- [119-s-4065: STAND with Taiwan Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4065)
- [119-s-3492: Essential Caregivers Act of 2025](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3492)
- [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation)

Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-4622 (as of 2026-07-25).