On October 1, 2024, the top U.S. consumer financial watchdog, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), issued a warning to medical debt collectors, stating they face enforcement action by federal regulators if they attempt to collect on inaccurate or legally invalid medical debts. This announcement was made during a White House event on medical debt. The CFPB's new actions aim to prevent families from being targeted by illegal medical debt collection tactics. More than 100 million Americans are affected by medical debt, and the CFPB's advisory clarifies that debt collectors violate federal law when pursuing inflated charges that exceed federal and state cost caps or seeking payment for charges already covered by insurance.