Summary of SB 683 - Hospital Billing and Collection Efforts

• Hospitals and affiliated entities may not collect more than the cost of providing healthcare from uninsured patients (those earning at or below 250% of poverty guidelines and denied Medicaid coverage)

• Collection agents must notify patients in writing whether they are classified as insured or uninsured and provide reasons for the determination

• Effective October 1, 2022, hospitals and collection agents are prohibited from reporting patients to credit agencies, foreclosing on primary residences, or garnishing wages for healthcare debt for one year from initial billing

• Hospitals must provide written notice to patients prior to outpatient services at hospital-based facilities explaining facility fees, potential financial liability, Medicare reimbursement rates as comparison, and patient rights to request bill reductions

• Hospitals and health systems must submit annual reports to the Office of Health Strategy detailing facility fee charges, patient volumes, revenue by payer type, and top procedures generating facility fee revenue; notices must include taglines in the top 15 languages spoken in Connecticut