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S 3385 114th Congress Senate Finance and Financial Sector Bankruptcy Cemeteries and funerals Consumer credit Health care costs and insurance Higher education Housing finance and home ownership Social work, volunteer service, charitable organizations Student aid and college costs Unemployment Wages and earnings

Medical Bankruptcy Fairness Act of 2016

Introduced: September 22, 2016 Introduced by: Whitehouse, Sheldon Democratic · Rhode Island See on congress.gov
This bill died when the 114th Congress ended
It never became law before the 114th Congress (2015–2016) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 2 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Sep 22, 2016
Introduced in Senate
Sep 22, 2016
Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
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 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Medical Bankruptcy Fairness Act of 2016

This bill amends federal bankruptcy law to allow a medically distressed debtor to exempt, from the property of the estate in bankruptcy, up to $250,000 of the debtor's aggregate interest in: (1) specified real or personal property that the debtor or debtor's dependent uses as a residence, (2) a cooperative that owns such property, or (3) a burial plot for the debtor or debtor's dependent.

With respect to a medically distressed debtor, the bill waives certain administrative and procedural requirements.

In addition, the bill allows a medically distressed debtor to discharge in bankruptcy debts for certain educational loans.

A debtor who seeks relief as a medically distressed debtor must attest in writing, under penalty of perjury, that the debtor's medical expenses are genuine and were not specifically incurred to bring the debtor within the meaning of "medically distressed debtor."

What's happening now September 22, 2016

Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 1
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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). S. 3385: Medical Bankruptcy Fairness Act of 2016. 114th Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/114-S-3385/
MLA
"S. 3385: Medical Bankruptcy Fairness Act of 2016." 114th Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/114-S-3385/.
Bluebook (legal)
S. 3385, 114th Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/114-S-3385/.
Markdown link
[S. 3385: Medical Bankruptcy Fairness Act of 2016](https://openamerica.io/bill/114-S-3385/)
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