Patient Medical Debt Protection Act Summary

• Hospitals must provide consolidated itemized bills within seven days of discharge, detailing all charges in plain language with specific service dates, provider names, and payment status.

• Hospitals cannot bill patients for facility fees related to preventive care services or when the facility fee is not covered by third-party payers.

• Hospitals must use a uniform patient financial liability form (to be developed by the commissioner) disclosing whether services are in-network or out-of-network and the patient's projected financial responsibility.

• Patients with incomes below 400% of federal poverty level are presumptively eligible for financial assistance with sliding scale payments capped at 5% of gross monthly income; hospitals cannot place liens on primary residences or deny care based on inability to pay.

• Interest rates on medical debt from hospitals are capped at the one-year U.S. Treasury bill rate, and "surprise bills" now include charges when patients reasonably relied on inaccurate information about provider network status or received inadequate disclosures.