Medical debt laws in Maine

In Maine, the statute of limitations on medical debt is 6 years (14 M.R.S. § 752). Maine applies a single 6-year limitations period to virtually all civil actions, including written contracts, oral contracts, and open accounts (14 M.R.S. § 752); medical debt has no separate limitations statute and falls under the same 6-year rule, so there is no classification ambiguity. That clock decides whether a collector can win a lawsuit against you — which changes what you should do next, so check the dates on the bill before you do anything else.

What the time limit actually means

The statute of limitations does not erase a debt — it limits how long a collector can successfully sue over it. A time-barred debt can still be requested, reported (within credit-reporting time limits), and settled. But if a collector sues after the period has run and you raise the statute of limitations as a defense, the case should be dismissed. The defense is not automatic: you must respond to the lawsuit to use it.

Careful: Yes — the limitations period can be renewed, but a bare acknowledgment or new promise counts only if it is express, in writing, and signed by the debtor (14 M.R.S. § 860); a part payment evidenced under 14 M.R.S. ch. 205 rules can likewise take the debt out of the statute, so payments on old debts risk restarting the 6 years.

Maine protections for medical debt

• Medical debt collection reform (LD 2115) (P.L. 2023, ch. 663, codified in the Maine Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, 32 M.R.S. § 11013) — Effective August 9, 2024: debt collectors may not charge any interest or fees on medical debt, may not sue to collect medical debt when the consumer's household income is at or below 300% of the federal poverty guidelines (with required 30-day written notice of that protection before suit), and may not make false or misleading representations about interest, fees, or litigation on medical debt.
• Medical debt credit-reporting ban (LD 558) (10 M.R.S. § 1310-H (Maine Fair Credit Reporting Act), as amended by LD 558, signed June 9, 2025) — Consumer reporting agencies may not include medical debt on Maine consumers' credit reports, and medical creditors, debt collectors, and debt buyers may not report medical debt to a consumer reporting agency; note that a November 2025 CFPB rule asserting FCRA preemption of such state bans is being contested, so enforcement is being litigated.

• Charity care is federal law. Nonprofit hospitals must maintain a written Financial Assistance Policy and publicize it (IRS §501(r)). If your bill is from a nonprofit hospital, ask for the FAP application before paying anything. How to apply →
• Surprise out-of-network bills. The federal No Surprises Act bans most out-of-network balance billing for emergency care and for out-of-network providers at in-network facilities. When a bill is illegal →
• Credit reporting. The national bureaus no longer report paid medical collections, medical collections under $500, or those less than a year old.

Rules Maine sets for collectors

Beyond the federal FDCPA, Maine has its own collection statute — the Maine Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (32 M.R.S. §§ 11001–11054). A full state analogue of the federal FDCPA administered by the Bureau of Consumer Credit Protection: it requires licensing of debt collectors, bans harassment, false representations, and unfair practices, imposes special limits on debt buyers (32 M.R.S. § 11019) and medical debt (32 M.R.S. § 11013), and makes unlicensed collection a Class E crime.

Yes — anyone collecting debts owed by Maine residents must hold a debt collector license from the Maine Bureau of Consumer Credit Protection under the Maine Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (32 M.R.S. ch. 109-A), regardless of where the collector or creditor is located.

Under the FDCPA, within five days of first contacting you a collector must send a written validation notice (15 U.S.C. §1692g). If you dispute the debt in writing within 30 days of that notice, the collector must stop collection activity until it mails you verification. There is no legal deadline for the collector to respond — but until it does, it cannot lawfully keep collecting.

If a collector is calling: the first 24 hours

1. Do not confirm the debt is yours on the phone, and do not make a payment yet — get everything in writing first.
2. Ask for the collector’s company name, mailing address, and the amount claimed. Write down the date and time.
3. Check the dates: if the last activity on the bill is older than 6 years, the debt may be time-barred in Maine.
4. Send a written validation request within 30 days. Generate the letter free →
5. If the bill is from a hospital, request an itemized bill and ask about financial assistance — billing errors are common and assistance is often retroactive.

Where to complain in Maine

Maine Attorney General Consumer Protection Division handles collection complaints at the state level. Federally, file with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — complaints become part of the public record collectors are judged on.

Common questions

Keep reading

• Statute of limitations on all debt in Maine
• Free debt validation letter generator — no account needed
• Look up a debt collector — CFPB complaint records for the biggest agencies
• Charity care: hospital financial assistance, applied
• Medical debt laws in Montana
• Medical debt laws in North Carolina
• Medical debt laws in South Carolina
• Medical debt laws in Washington
• Medical debt laws in Arkansas
• Medical debt laws in Hawaii

Legal information, not legal advice. Statutes change and courts interpret them — for advice on your situation, talk to a lawyer or your state’s legal aid office. Last reviewed AUG 2026.