Colorado Gov. Jared Polis signed a bill into law that bars hospitals from using debt collections if they don't post their prices online, Colorado Politics reported June 8.
The law goes into effect in August and prohibits hospitals that are not following federal price transparency laws from using debt collectors, filing negative credit reports against patients and obtaining state court judgments for outstanding debts, according to the report.
Noncompliant hospitals can still bill patients, but if they pursue collection actions, they will have to refund any debt paid by the patient and all legal fees, according to the report.