WASHINGTON–U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Mike Braun (R-Ind.), both members of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, on Tuesday introduced legislation to strengthen consumer protections and improve transparency for medical debt practices. The Strengthening Consumer Protections and Medical Debt Transparency Act would require health care entities to communicate with consumers about any medical debt that is owed and reform collection practices. It would also direct the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to create a public database that collects information from health care entities about their debt collection practices. “No one should be forced into bankruptcy simply because they got sick. It’s unconscionable that there are hospitals willing to sue patients, seize their tax refunds, and even withhold care in order to get paid. This newly bipartisan legislation would protect patients from many hospitals’ overly aggressive, exploitative debt collection practices and bring some much-needed transparency to the industry,” said Murphy. “Many Americans are struggling with medical debt, and more transparency between health care entities