Advocates Celebrate House Passage of Louisiana Medical Debt Protections Act
American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) Louisiana Government Relations Director Comments
May 18, 2026 – BATON ROUGE, Louisana – The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN) was pleased to see the Louisiana Medical Debt Protections Act (SB 414) pass the House Committee on Commerce today.
Recent polling data found that nearly 70% of Louisiana voters surveyed reported having current or past medical debt. Louisiana ranks in the top ten states for proportion of people with medical debt in collections, at 18.1%.
The following can be attributed to Louisiana Government Relations Director, Alice Kline:
“Healthcare costs are rising, for everyone. Being insured does not immunize patients from the sticker shock of cancer. Recent polling data found that those who have accumulated medical debt to pay for their cancer care were three times as likely to be behind on recommended cancer screenings, despite cancer patients typically being highly motivated when it comes to prevention and early detection.
“A Louisiana survey found our residents are looking for solutions: 85% of voters surveyed want legislators to pass laws to protect individuals from medical debt. These numbers reflect a popular and urgent problem.
“ SB 414 is a practical, bipartisan solution that would provide meaningful relief to those most affected by capping the interest rate on medical debt.”