The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has finalized a rule to keep medical bills off of consumers’ credit reports.

Native Americans are twice as likely as others to have overdue medical bills in collection, and major problems within the Indian Health Service are a key reason, a new federal report shows.

Opposition is quickly forming against the Biden administration’s rule to ban medical debt from appearing on consumers’ credit reports, threatening the viability of what could be a popular regulation.

Lenders will no longer be able to consider unpaid medical bills as a credit history factor when they evaluate potential borrowers in the U.S. for mortgages, car loans or business loans. Here's what you need to know.