Bill > H1350

This bill addresses medical debt by requiring hospitals to implement comprehensive financial assistance policies that provide free or discounted care to patients based on their household income. Specifically, the bill mandates that hospitals offer free care to patients with household incomes up to 200% of the federal poverty level, and sliding scale discounts (75%, 50%, and 25%) for patients with incomes between 201% and 400% of the federal poverty level. Hospitals must also disregard immigration status and certain contract limitations when determining financial assistance eligibility. The bill requires hospitals to prominently display and communicate their financial assistance policies in multiple languages, including during patient intake, discharge, and on billing statements. Hospitals must provide a uniform application for financial assistance, train staff on the policy, and annually report aggregated data about financial assistance applications and outcomes to the center for health information and analysis. The health policy commission will then create an annual public report analyzing the impact of these financial assistance policies. Important terms like "medical hardship" are defined, with medical hardship meaning a person whose out-of-pocket medical costs exceed 10% of their gross household income in a 12-month period. The bill aims to reduce the burden of medical debt and ensure that low and moderate-income individuals have access to necessary healthcare services.

Health and Social Services

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H1350