LCO 1 of 2
General Assembly Substitute Bill No. 1192
January Session, 2025
AN ACT CONCERNING HOSPITAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General
Assembly convened:
Section 1. (NEW) (Effective July 1, 2025) (a) As used in this section, (1) 1
"hospital" has the same meaning as provided in section 19a-490 of the 2
general statutes; and (2) "hospital financial assistance" means any 3
program administered by a hospital that reduces, in whole or in part, a 4
patient's liability for the cost of providing services, as defined in section 5
19a-673 of the general statutes. 6
(b) The Office of the Healthcare Advocate shall, within available 7
appropriations, contract with a vendor to develop an online hospital 8
financial assistance portal for use by patients and family members. Such 9
portal shall serve as a navigation tool to help patients and family 10
members identify and apply for hospital financial assistance at hospitals 11
in the state. The portal may include, but need not be limited to, (1) 12
technical assistance and tools that streamline the application process for 13
hospital financial assistance, (2) a screening tool to help determine 14
whether patients may be eligible for hospital financial assistance, and 15
(3) information to assist patients and family members in avoiding future 16
medical debt. 17
(c) The Office of the Healthcare Advocate may, (1) in consultation 18
with the Office of Policy and Management, publish on the Office of the 19 Substitute Bill No. 1192
LCO 2 of 2
Healthcare Advocate's Internet web site information regarding the 20
state's medical debt erasure initiative authorized pursuant to section 48 21
of public act 23-204, as amended by section 1 of public act 24-81, and (2) 22
in consultation with relevant organizations, develop recommendations 23
concerning such initiative that may assist patients and family members 24
in avoiding future medical debt, including, but not limited to, methods 25
to streamline the application process for hospital financial assistance. 26
(d) On and after July 1, 2026, any hospital maintaining a financial 27
assistance program shall provide the Office of the Healthcare Advocate 28
with the (1) links for each Internet web site for such program, and (2) 29
telephone number and electronic mail address for the hospital's 30
financial assistance referral contact. If a hospital revises its hospital 31
financial assistance application form, changes its financial assistance 32
referral contact or establishes a new hospital financial assistance 33
program, the hospital shall notify the Office of the Healthcare Advocate 34
of such revisions, changes or new program and provide said office with 35
any new links for each Internet web site or the telephone number and 36
electronic mail address of the new referral contact for such program not 37
later than thirty days after making such revisions or changes or 38
establishing a new program. 39
This act shall take effect as follows and shall amend the following
sections:
Section 1 July 1, 2025 New section
PH Joint Favorable Subst.