Connecticut 2025 Regular Session

Connecticut Senate Bill SB01192 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1
2	2
3		-	LCO 1 of 2
	3	+	LCO No. 3730 1 of 2
4	4
5		-	General Assembly ~~Substitute~~ Bill No. 1192
	5	+	General Assembly Raised Bill No. 1192
6	6		January Session, 2025
	7	+	LCO No. 3730
7	8
	9	+
	10	+	Referred to Committee on PUBLIC HEALTH
	11	+
	12	+
	13	+	Introduced by:
	14	+	(PH)
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10	17
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12	19		AN ACT CONCERNING HOSPITAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.
13	20		Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
14	21		Assembly convened:
15	22
16	23		Section 1. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2025) (a) As used in this section, (1) 1
17	24		"hospital" has the same meaning as provided in section 19a-490 of the 2
18	25		general statutes; and (2) "hospital financial assistance" means any 3
19	26		program administered by a hospital that reduces, in whole or in part, a 4
20	27		patient's liability for the cost of providing services, as defined in section 5
21	28		19a-673 of the general statutes. 6
22	29		(b) The Office of the Healthcare Advocate shall, within available 7
23	30		appropriations, contract with a vendor to develop an online hospital 8
24	31		financial assistance portal for use by patients and family members. Such 9
25	32		portal shall serve as a navigation tool to help patients and family 10
26	33		members identify and apply for hospital financial assistance at hospitals 11
27	34		in the state. The portal may include, but need not be limited to, (1) 12
28	35		technical assistance and tools that streamline the application process for 13
29	36		hospital financial assistance, (2) a screening tool to help determine 14
30	37		whether patients may be eligible for hospital financial assistance, and 15
31	38		(3) information to assist patients and family members in avoiding future 16
	39	+	Raised Bill No. 1192
	40	+
	41	+
	42	+
	43	+	LCO No. 3730 2 of 2
	44	+
32	45		medical debt. 17
33	46		(c) The Office of the Healthcare Advocate may, (1) in consultation 18
34		-	with the Office of Policy and Management, publish on the Office of the 19 Substitute Bill No. 1192
35		-
36		-
37		-	LCO 2 of 2
38		-
	47	+	with the Office of Policy and Management, publish on the Office of the 19
39	48		Healthcare Advocate's Internet web site information regarding the 20
40	49		state's medical debt erasure initiative authorized pursuant to section 48 21
41	50		of public act 23-204, as amended by section 1 of public act 24-81, and (2) 22
42	51		in consultation with relevant organizations, develop recommendations 23
43	52		concerning such initiative that may assist patients and family members 24
44	53		in avoiding future medical debt, including, but not limited to, methods 25
45	54		to streamline the application process for hospital financial assistance. 26
46	55		(d) On and after July 1, 2026, any hospital maintaining a financial 27
47	56		assistance program shall provide the Office of the Healthcare Advocate 28
48		-	with the (1) links for each Internet web site for such program, and (2) 29
49		-	telephone number and electronic mail address for the hospital's 30
50		-	financial assistance referral contact. If a hospital revises its hospital 31
51		-	financial assistance application form, changes its financial assistance 32
52		-	referral contact or establishes a new hospital financial assistance 33
53		-	program, the hospital shall notify the Office of the Healthcare Advocate 34
54		-	of such revisions, changes or new program and provide said office with 35
55		-	any new links for each Internet web site or the telephone number and 36
56		-	electronic mail address of the new referral contact for such program not 37
57		-	later than thirty days after making such revisions or changes or 38
58		-	establishing a new program. 39
	57	+	with the links for each Internet web site for such program. If a hospital 29
	58	+	revises its hospital financial assistance application form or establishes a 30
	59	+	new hospital financial assistance program, the hospital shall notify the 31
	60	+	Office of the Healthcare Advocate of such revisions or new program and 32
	61	+	provide said office with any new links for each Internet web site for such 33
	62	+	program not later than thirty days after making such revisions or 34
	63	+	establishing a new program. 35
59	64		This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
60	65		sections:
61	66
62	67		Section 1 July 1, 2025 New section
63	68
64		-	PH Joint Favorable Subst.
	69	+	Statement of Purpose:
	70	+	To improve hospital financial policies.
	71	+	[Proposed deletions are enclosed in brackets. Proposed additions are indicated by underline, except
	72	+	that when the entire text of a bill or resolution or a section of a bill or resolution is new, it is not
	73	+	underlined.]
65	74