debt

Lawmakers are discussing several measures to solve the problem of unexpected medical bills, which can wreak havoc on patients' lives. Here's our guide to the current roster of proposed legislation.

The snake struck a 9-year-old hiker at dusk on a nature trail in Illinois. Expensive antivenin and a helicopter ride to the hospital led to big bills that struck her parents a few weeks later.

For Patricia Gannon of Dunedin, a medical credit card seemed the answer to an expensive dental procedure she couldn’t afford. The dentist's assistant…