CS/HB 1527 2022
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1527-01-c1
Page 1 of 5
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to health care expenses; creating s. 2
222.26, F.S.; providing additional personal property 3
exemptions from legal process for medical debts 4
resulting from services provided in certain licensed 5
facilities; amending s. 395.301, F.S.; requiring a 6
licensed facility to post on its website a consumer -7
friendly list of standard charges for a minimum number 8
of shoppable health care services; providing 9
definitions; requiring a licensed facility to 10
establish an internal grievance process for patients 11
to dispute charges, to make available information 12
necessary for initiating a grievance, and to respond 13
to a grievance within a specified timeframe; creating 14
s. 395.3011, F.S.; providing a definition; prohibiting 15
certain collection activities by a licensed facility; 16
providing an effective date. 17
18
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 19
20
Section 1. Section 222.26, Florida Statutes, is cr eated to 21
read: 22
222.26 Additional exemptions from legal process concerning 23
medical debt.—If a debt is owed for medical services provided by 24
a facility licensed under chapter 395, the following property is 25
CS/HB 1527 2022
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1527-01-c1
Page 2 of 5
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
exempt from attachment, garnishment, or other lega l process in 26
an action on such debt: 27
(1) A debtor's interest, not to exceed $10,000 in value, 28
in a single motor vehicle as defined in s. 320.01(1). 29
(2) A debtor's interest in personal property, not to 30
exceed $10,000 in value, if the debtor does not cla im or receive 31
the benefits of a homestead exemption under s. 4, Art. X of the 32
State Constitution. 33
Section 2. Paragraphs (b) through (d) of subsection (1) of 34
section 395.301, Florida Statutes, are redesignated as 35
paragraphs (c) through (e), respectively , subsection (6) is 36
renumbered as subsection (7), and a new paragraph (b) is added 37
to subsection (1) and a new subsection (6) is added to that 38
section, to read: 39
395.301 Price transparency; itemized patient statement or 40
bill; patient admission status noti fication.— 41
(1) A facility licensed under this chapter shall provide 42
timely and accurate financial information and quality of service 43
measures to patients and prospective patients of the facility, 44
or to patients' survivors or legal guardians, as appropria te. 45
Such information shall be provided in accordance with this 46
section and rules adopted by the agency pursuant to this chapter 47
and s. 408.05. Licensed facilities operating exclusively as 48
state facilities are exempt from this subsection. 49
CS/HB 1527 2022
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1527-01-c1
Page 3 of 5
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
(b) Each licensed facility shall post on its website a 50
consumer-friendly list of standard charges for at least 300 51
shoppable health care services. If a facility provides fewer 52
than 300 distinct shoppable health care services, it shall make 53
available on its website the sta ndard charges for each service 54
it provides. As used in this paragraph, the term: 55
1. "Shoppable health care service" means a service that 56
can be scheduled by a healthcare consumer in advance. The term 57
includes, but is not limited to, the services describe d in s. 58
627.6387(2)(e) and any services defined in regulations or 59
guidance issued by the United States Department of Health and 60
Human Services. 61
2. "Standard charge" has the same meaning as that term is 62
defined in regulations or guidance issued by the Uni ted States 63
Department of Health and Human Services for purposes of hospital 64
price transparency. 65
(6) Each facility shall establish an internal process for 66
reviewing and responding to grievances from patients. Such 67
process must allow patients to dispute ch arges that appear on 68
the patient's itemized statement or bill. The facility shall 69
prominently post on its website and indicate in bold print on 70
each itemized statement or bill the instructions for initiating 71
a grievance and the direct contact information r equired to 72
initiate the grievance process. The facility must provide an 73
initial response to a patient grievance within 7 business days 74
CS/HB 1527 2022
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1527-01-c1
Page 4 of 5
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
after the patient formally files a grievance disputing all or a 75
portion of an itemized statement or bill. 76
Section 3. Section 395.3011, Florida Statutes, is created 77
to read: 78
395.3011 Billing and collection activities. — 79
(1) As used in this section, the term "extraordinary 80
collection action" means any of the following actions taken by a 81
licensed facility against an indiv idual in relation to obtaining 82
payment of a bill for care covered under the facility's 83
financial assistance policy: 84
(a) Selling the individual's debt to another party. 85
(b) Reporting adverse information about the individual to 86
consumer credit reporting agencies or credit bureaus. 87
(c) Deferring, denying, or requiring a payment before 88
providing medically necessary care because of the individual's 89
nonpayment of one or more bills for previously provided care 90
covered under the facility's financial assistanc e policy. 91
(d) Actions that require a legal or judicial process, 92
including, but not limited to: 93
1. Placing a lien on the individual's property; 94
2. Foreclosing on the individual's real property; 95
3. Attaching or seizing the individual's bank account o r 96
any other personal property; 97
4. Commencing a civil action against the individual; 98
5. Causing the individual's arrest; or 99
CS/HB 1527 2022
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb1527-01-c1
Page 5 of 5
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
6. Garnishing the individual's wages. 100
(2) A facility may not engage in an extraordinary 101
collection action against an individu al to obtain payment for 102
services: 103
(a) Before the facility has made reasonable efforts to 104
determine whether the individual is eligible for assistance 105
under its financial assistance policy for the care provided. 106
(b) Before the facility has provided the individual with 107
an itemized statement or bill. 108
(c) During an ongoing grievance process as described in s. 109
395.301(6). 110
(d) Before billing any applicable insurer and allowing the 111
insurer to adjudicate a claim. 112
(e) For 30 days after notifying the patien t in writing, by 113
certified mail or other traceable delivery method, that a 114
collection action will commence absent additional action by the 115
patient. 116
Section 4. This act shall take effect July 1, 2022. 117