| 13 | | - | Section 1. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2024) (a) As used in this section: |
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| 14 | | - | (1) "Collection entity" means any individual, partnership, |
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| 15 | | - | corporation, trust, estate, cooperative, association, government or |
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| 16 | | - | government subdivision, agency or other entity that either purchases |
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| 17 | | - | medical debt or collects medical debt on behalf of another entity; |
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| 18 | | - | (2) "Credit rating agency" and "credit report" have the same meanings |
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| 19 | | - | as provided in section 36a-695 of the general statutes; |
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| 20 | | - | (3) "Health care goods" means goods, including, but not limited to, |
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| 21 | | - | products, devices, durable medical equipment and prescription drugs; |
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| 22 | | - | (4) "Health care provider" has the same meaning as provided in |
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| 23 | | - | section 19a-17b of the general statutes; |
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| 24 | | - | (5) "Health care services" has the same meaning as provided in |
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| 25 | | - | section 38a-478 of the general statutes; and |
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| 26 | | - | (6) "Medical debt" means an obligation or alleged obligation of a |
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| 27 | | - | consumer to pay any amount related to the receipt by the consumer of Substitute Senate Bill No. 395 |
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| 18 | + | Section 1. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2024) (a) As used in this section: 1 |
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| 19 | + | (1) "Medical debt" means an obligation or alleged obligation of a 2 |
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| 20 | + | consumer to pay any amount related to the receipt of health care 3 |
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| 21 | + | services, products or devices provided to such consumer by a health 4 |
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| 22 | + | care provider. "Medical debt" does not include debt charged to a credit 5 |
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| 23 | + | card unless the credit card is issued under an open-end or closed-end 6 |
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| 24 | + | plan offered specifically for the payment of health care services, 7 |
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| 25 | + | products or devices. 8 |
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| 26 | + | (2) "Collection entity" means any individual, partnership, 9 |
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| 27 | + | corporation, trust, estate, cooperative, association, government or 10 |
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| 28 | + | government subdivision, agency or other entity that either purchases 11 |
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| 29 | + | medical debt or collects medical debt on behalf of another entity. 12 |
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| 30 | + | (3) "Credit rating agency" and "credit report" have the same meanings 13 |
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| 31 | + | as provided in section 36a-695 of the general statutes. 14 |
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| 32 | + | (4) "Health care provider" has the same meaning as provided in 15 |
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| 33 | + | section 19a-17b of the general statutes. 16 Substitute Bill No. 395 |
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| 31 | | - | health care goods or health care services. "Medical debt" does not |
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| 32 | | - | include debt charged to a credit card unless the credit card is issued |
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| 33 | | - | under an open-end or closed-end credit plan offered specifically for the |
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| 34 | | - | payment of charges related to health care goods or health care services. |
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| 35 | | - | (b) On and after July 1, 2024, any health care provider or any |
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| 36 | | - | collection entity doing business in this state shall not report any portion |
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| 37 | | - | of a medical debt to a credit rating agency for use in a credit report. A |
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| 38 | | - | health care provider doing business in this state shall include in any |
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| 39 | | - | contract entered into with a collection entity on and after July 1, 2024, |
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| 40 | | - | for the purchase or collection of medical debt a provision that prohibits |
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| 41 | | - | the reporting of any portion of such medical debt to a credit rating |
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| 42 | | - | agency. |
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| 43 | | - | (c) Any portion of a medical debt that is reported to a credit rating |
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| 44 | | - | agency shall be void. |
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| 45 | | - | Sec. 2. Subsection (c) of section 19a-673b of the general statutes is |
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| 46 | | - | repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, |
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| 47 | | - | 2024): |
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| 48 | | - | (c) [On or after October 1, 2022, no] No hospital or entity that is |
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| 49 | | - | owned by or affiliated with such hospital, as defined in section 19a-490, |
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| 50 | | - | and no collection agent, as defined in section 19a-509b, that receives a |
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| 51 | | - | referral from a hospital or entity that is owned by or affiliated with such |
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| 52 | | - | hospital, shall: |
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| 53 | | - | (1) [Report] On and after July 1, 2024, report an individual patient to |
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| 54 | | - | a credit rating agency, as defined in section 36a-695; [, for a period of |
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| 55 | | - | one year beginning on the date that such patient first receives a bill for |
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| 56 | | - | health care provided by the hospital or entity that is owned by or |
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| 57 | | - | affiliated with such hospital to such patient on or after October 1, 2022;] |
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| 58 | | - | (2) [Initiate] On or after October 1, 2022, initiate an action to foreclose |
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| 59 | | - | a lien on an individual patient's primary residence if the lien was filed Substitute Senate Bill No. 395 |
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| 36 | + | LCO {\\PRDFS1\SCOUSERS\FORZANOF\WS\2024SB-00395- |
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| 37 | + | R01-SB.docx } |
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| 38 | + | 2 of 3 |
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| 61 | | - | Public Act No. 24-6 3 of 3 |
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| 40 | + | (b) A health care provider doing business in this state (1) shall not 17 |
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| 41 | + | report any portion of a medical debt to a credit rating agency for use in 18 |
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| 42 | + | a credit report, and (2) shall include in any contract entered into with a 19 |
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| 43 | + | collection entity for the purchase or collection of medical debt a 20 |
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| 44 | + | provision that prohibits the reporting of any portion of such medical 21 |
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| 45 | + | debt to a credit rating agency. 22 |
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| 46 | + | (c) Any portion of a medical debt that is reported to a credit rating 23 |
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| 47 | + | agency by a health care provider shall be void. 24 |
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| 48 | + | Sec. 2. Subsection (c) of section 19a-673b of the general statutes is 25 |
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| 49 | + | repealed and the following is substituted in lieu thereof (Effective July 1, 26 |
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| 50 | + | 2024): 27 |
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| 51 | + | (c) On or after October 1, 2022, no hospital or entity that is owned by 28 |
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| 52 | + | or affiliated with such hospital, as defined in section 19a-490, and no 29 |
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| 53 | + | collection agent, as defined in section 19a-509b, that receives a referral 30 |
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| 54 | + | from a hospital or entity that is owned by or affiliated with such 31 |
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| 55 | + | hospital, shall: 32 |
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| 56 | + | (1) [Report] On and after July 1, 2024, report an individual patient to 33 |
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| 57 | + | a credit rating agency, as defined in section 36a-695; [, for a period of 34 |
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| 58 | + | one year beginning on the date that such patient first receives a bill for 35 |
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| 59 | + | health care provided by the hospital or entity that is owned by or 36 |
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| 60 | + | affiliated with such hospital to such patient on or after October 1, 2022;] 37 |
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| 61 | + | (2) Initiate an action to foreclose a lien on an individual patient's 38 |
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| 62 | + | primary residence if the lien was filed to secure payment for health care 39 |
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| 63 | + | provided by the hospital or entity that is owned by or affiliated with 40 |
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| 64 | + | such hospital to such patient on or after October 1, 2022; or 41 |
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| 65 | + | (3) Apply to a court for an execution against an individual patient's 42 |
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| 66 | + | wages pursuant to section 52-361a, or otherwise seek to garnish such 43 |
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| 67 | + | patient's wages, to collect payment for health care provided by the 44 |
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| 68 | + | hospital or entity that is owned by or affiliated with such hospital to 45 |
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| 69 | + | such patient on or after October 1, 2022, if such patient is eligible for the 46 |
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| 70 | + | hospital bed fund. 47 Substitute Bill No. 395 |
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| 63 | | - | to secure payment for health care provided by the hospital or entity that |
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| 64 | | - | is owned by or affiliated with such hospital to such patient on or after |
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| 65 | | - | October 1, 2022; or |
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| 66 | | - | (3) [Apply] On or after October 1, 2022, apply to a court for an |
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| 67 | | - | execution against an individual patient's wages pursuant to section 52- |
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| 68 | | - | 361a, or otherwise seek to garnish such patient's wages, to collect |
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| 69 | | - | payment for health care provided by the hospital or entity that is owned |
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| 70 | | - | by or affiliated with such hospital to such patient on or after October 1, |
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| 71 | | - | 2022, if such patient is eligible for the hospital bed fund. |
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| 72 | + | |
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| 73 | + | LCO {\\PRDFS1\SCOUSERS\FORZANOF\WS\2024SB-00395- |
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| 74 | + | R01-SB.docx } |
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| 75 | + | 3 of 3 |
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| 76 | + | |
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| 77 | + | This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following |
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| 78 | + | sections: |
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| 79 | + | |
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| 80 | + | Section 1 July 1, 2024 New section |
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| 81 | + | Sec. 2 July 1, 2024 19a-673b(c) |
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| 82 | + | |
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| 83 | + | Statement of Legislative Commissioners: |
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| 84 | + | The title was changed. |
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| 85 | + | |
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| 86 | + | HS Joint Favorable Subst. |
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