An Act establishing requirements for hospital-based financial assistance; providing for hospital-based financial assistance forms, for information about hospital-based financial assistance programs and for reporting of hospital-based financial assistance policies; and imposing duties on the Department of Health.

PRINTER'S NO. 707
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE BILL
No. 648
Session of
2025
INTRODUCED BY PISCIOTTANO, HAYWOOD, HUGHES, COMITTA, KANE,
SAVAL, TARTAGLIONE, KEARNEY, COSTA, SANTARSIERO AND SCHWANK,
APRIL 30, 2025
REFERRED TO HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, APRIL 30, 2025
AN ACT
Establishing requirements for hospital-based financial
assistance; providing for hospital-based financial assistance
forms, for information about hospital-based financial
assistance programs and for reporting of hospital-based
financial assistance policies; and imposing duties on the
Department of Health.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. Short title.
This act shall be known and may be cited as the Hospital-
Based Financial Assistance Act.
Section 2. Definitions.
The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
context clearly indicates otherwise:
"Department." The Department of Health of the Commonwealth.
"Eligible patient." An individual who meets all of the
following requirements:
(1) Is a resident of this Commonwealth.
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(2) Can demonstrate an inability to pay the cost of
medical care even after the application of payments for
third-party health coverage.
(3) Provides financial information and documentation
showing that their income and assets make them eligible for
hospital-based financial assistance under the policies of the
hospital and of this act.
"Hospital." A nonprofit or private hospital in this
Commonwealth.
"Hospital-based financial assistance." Financial assistance
provided by hospitals to patients that includes charity care or
discounted care where the cost of care ordinarily charged by a
hospital is provided free of charge or at a reduced rate or a
hospital relieves an eligible patient's medical bill in part or
in full based on eligibility criteria.
Section 3. Hospital-based financial assistance forms.
(a) Forms.--The department shall develop the following forms
and make them available to hospitals and the general public:
(1) A uniform application for financial assistance that
shall be used in every hospital in this Commonwealth to
determine if an individual is an eligible patient.
(2) A uniform one-page template all hospitals shall use
to summarize each hospital's eligibility information for
hospital-based financial assistance.
(3) A brief uniform statement of the availability of
hospital-based financial assistance and of the application
for hospital-based financial assistance.
(b) Development of form.--The department shall include input
from hospitals and the general public in developing the forms
described in subsection (a)(1), (2) and (3).
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(c) Time frame.--The department shall develop the forms
within 180 days of the effective date of this subsection.
Section 4. Information about hospital-based financial
assistance programs.
(a) Accessibility of forms.--Each form outlined in section
3(a) shall be posted by hospitals online in a publicly
accessible format. A full copy of the hospital's financial
assistance policies shall also be published along with the
summary in section 3(a)(2).
(b) Disclosure to patients.--A hospital shall provide the
form discussed in section 3(a)(2) to all patients upon intake
and discharge. Additionally, a hospital shall place the uniform
statement provided for in section 3(a)(3) on all bills, billing
statements, good faith estimates, admittance forms and discharge
paperwork.
(c) Liability for bills.--Upon submission of a completed
application for hospital-based financial assistance, the patient
shall not be liable for any bills until the hospital has
rendered a decision on the application.
Section 5. Reporting of hospital-based financial assistance
policies.
All hospitals that have a hospital-based financial assistance
policy shall provide a full copy of the hospital's financial
assistance policies and the summary specified in section 3(a)(2)
to the department for placement on the department's publicly
accessible Internet website.
Section 6. Applicability.
This act shall apply to each hospital with a hospital-based
financial assistance policy.
Section 7. Effective date.
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This act shall take effect as follows:
(1) Sections 4 and 5 shall take effect in 270 days.
(2) The remainder of this act shall take effect
immediately.
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