Bill > S1079

This bill amends the Idaho Patient Act to expand the existing limitations on fees and costs for extraordinary collection actions against patients. Specifically, the bill adds a new provision (Section 4) that clarifies that the existing fee and cost restrictions apply not just to the original legal action, but also to any subsequent actions, proceedings, or judgments that are founded on or derived from the original judgment. This means that if a judgment is sold, transferred, or assigned to a new creditor, the same fee and cost limitations that applied to the original legal action will continue to apply to any new legal actions related to that judgment. The bill ensures that patients are protected from potentially excessive legal fees across multiple legal proceedings, treating the original and subsequent actions as a single action for the purpose of calculating fee limitations. The amendment takes effect on July 1, 2025, and is being implemented with an emergency clause, suggesting the legislature views this change as urgently needed to protect patients from potentially burdensome legal expenses.

Government Affairs, Justice

State Affairs Committee (S)

https://legislature.idaho.gov/sessioninfo/2025/legislation/S1079/