Connecticut 2026 Session Status: In Committee 5 D cosponsors

SB 496 — AN ACT CONCERNING HOSPITAL UNCOMPENSATED CARE.

Last action — FILE NO. 485

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. 2
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Senate
  4. 4
    Passed House
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced March 12, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.

Next likely step: a committee vote, then a floor vote in the Senate.

Odds of enactment

Low chance

Based on the sponsor, cosponsors, and committee posture, this bill has a low chance of becoming law.

Upgrade to see the exact probability and what's driving it.

A statistical estimate from our own model of past outcomes — an insight, not a guarantee. Policymaking is volatile.

Prognosis

Stalled 24% · moderate confidence

  • In Committee

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 5 sponsors

    5 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (5 D).

Based on stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes, and cross-state momentum — a description of the observable signals, not a prediction.

Bill Text

What changed in the latest version

171 added · 12 removed

Plain-language change summary

The latest version of Bill SB 496 includes a statement about its Fiscal Impact and Bill Analysis, which explains how financial aspects of the bill were evaluated. This addition is important because it aims to provide clearer financial insight to members of the General Assembly regarding the bill's potential economic implications. Overall, the update enhances transparency and helps lawmakers understand the bill's effects on funding and resources.

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General Assembly Substitute Bill No.
Senate General Assembly File No.
496 February Session, 2026 AN ACT CONCERNING HOSPITAL UNCOMPENSATED CARE.
485 February Session, 2026 Substitute Senate Bill No.
496 Senate, April 7, 2026 The Committee on Human Services reported through SEN.
LESSER of the 9th Dist., Chairperson of the Committee on the part of the Senate, that the substitute bill ought to pass.
AN ACT CONCERNING HOSPITAL UNCOMPENSATED CARE.
(B) Subsidized by hospital financial assistance for an uninsured patient with income exceeding two hundred per cent of the federal poverty level but not exceeding three hundred per cent of the federal poverty level;
(B) Subsidized by hospital financial assistance for an uninsured patient with income exceeding two hundred per cent of the federal poverty level but not exceeding three hundred per cent of the federal sSB496 / File No.
(C) Subsidized with hospital financial assistance for any patient with income not exceeding four hundred per cent of the federal poverty level who is enrolled in (i) the federal supplemental nutrition assistance program, or (ii) the federal Special Supplemental Food Program for LCO 1 of 5 Substitute Bill No.
485 1 sSB496 File No.
496 Women, Infants and Children;
485 poverty level;
(C) Subsidized with hospital financial assistance for any patient with income not exceeding four hundred per cent of the federal poverty level who is enrolled in (i) the federal supplemental nutrition assistance program, or (ii) the federal Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants and Children;
(c) A participating hospital shall exempt patients who are experiencing homelessness or are at imminent risk of homelessness fromproviding documentationpursuant to subsection(b)ofthissection but may require such patients to provide self-attested information for both a hospital financial assistance screening and hospital financial LCO 2 of 5 Substitute Bill No.
sSB496 / File No.
496 assistance application.
485 2 sSB496 File No.
(d) Notwithstanding the provisions of section 19a-509b of the general statutes,a participating hospitalshallmake information availableonthe hospital financial assistance program in each of the top non-English languages spoken by five or more per cent of the population that reside in the geographic area served by the hospital.
485 (c) A participating hospital shall exempt patients who are experiencing homelessness or are at imminent risk of homelessness fromproviding documentationpursuant to subsection(b)ofthissection but may require such patients to provide self-attested information for both a hospital financial assistance screening and hospital financial assistance application.
(d) Notwithstanding the provisions of section 19a-509b of the general statutes,a participating hospitalshallmake informationavailableonthe hospital financial assistance program in each of the top non-English languages spoken by five or more per cent of the population that reside in the geographic area served by the hospital.
Sec.
sSB496 / File No.
485 3 sSB496 File No.
485 Sec.
(b) Any institution or agency to which payments are to be made LCO 3 of 5 Substitute Bill No.
(b) Any institution or agency to which payments are to be made under sections 17b-239 to 17b-246, inclusive, and sections 17b-340, [and] 17b-343 and section 2 of this act which is aggrieved by any decision of said commissioner may, within ten days after written notice thereof from the commissioner, obtain, by written request to the commissioner, a rehearing on all items of aggrievement.
496 under sections 17b-239 to 17b-246, inclusive, and sections 17b-340, [and] 17b-343 and section 2 of this act which is aggrieved by any decision of said commissioner may, within ten days after written notice thereof from the commissioner, obtain, by written request to the commissioner, a rehearing on all items of aggrievement.
Subsection (b) of section 17b-238 of the 2026 supplement to the general statutes, as amended by section 348 of public act 25-168, is repealedandthefollowingissubstitutedinlieuthereof (EffectiveJanuary 1, 2027):
Subsection (b) of section 17b-238 of the 2026 supplement to the general statutes, as amended by section 348 of public act 25-168, is repealedandthefollowingissubstitutedinlieuthereof (EffectiveJanuary sSB496 / File No.
(b) Any institution or agency to which payments are to be made under sections 17b-239 to 17b-246, inclusive, and sections 17b-340, [and] 17b-343 and section 2 of this act which is aggrieved by any decision of LCO 4 of 5 Substitute Bill No.
485 4 sSB496 File No.
496 said commissioner may, within ten days after written notice thereof from the commissioner, obtain, by written request to the commissioner, a rehearing on all items of aggrievement.
485 1, 2027):
(b) Any institution or agency to which payments are to be made under sections 17b-239 to 17b-246, inclusive, and sections 17b-340, [and] 17b-343 and section 2 of this act which is aggrieved by any decision of said commissioner may, within ten days after written notice thereof from the commissioner, obtain, by written request to the commissioner, a rehearing on all items of aggrievement.
-LCO LCO 5 of 5
-LCO sSB496 / File No.
485 5 sSB496 File No.
485 The following Fiscal Impact Statement and Bill Analysis are prepared for the benefit of the members of the General Assembly, solely for purposes of information, summarization and explanation and do not represent the intent of the General Assembly or either chamber thereof for any purpose.
In general, fiscal impacts are based upon a variety of informational sources, including the analyst’s professional knowledge.
Whenever applicable, agency data is consulted as part of the analysis, however final products do not necessarily reflect an assessment from any specific department.
OFA Fiscal Note State Impact:
Agency Affected Fund-Effect FY 27 $ FY 28 $ UConn Health Ctr.
GF - Potential See Below See Below Revenue Gain Social Services, Dept.
GF - Cost See Below See Below Note:
GF=General Fund Municipal Impact:
None Explanation Section 1 results in a potential revenue gain to the UConn Health Center (UCHC) annually beginning in FY 27.
It allows any hospital, including UCHC, to participate in a financial assistance program established by the bill for patients who meet certain income and other criteria.
Presumably, UCHC would only choose to participate if the program increased net patient revenue, and the bill's reimbursement from DSS offset the cost of participating in this program.
Any revenue gain would depend on:
(1) the number of qualifying patients who participate;
and (2) how the program's changes in qualifying patient payments compare to the reimbursement UCHC would receive from DSS.
In the past 12 months, UConn Health has served at least 5,299 uninsured patients and 749 insured patients who met the bill's income parameters.
On average, the uninsured patients who met the bill's 1These numbers represent the number of insured and uninsured patients at UCHC who have applied for financial assistance in the past 12 months and otherwise meet the bill's eligibility parameters.
Show all 89 changed rows (49 more)
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These figures do not include patients who may be eligible to participate in the bill's financial assistance program due to participation in SNAP or WIC.
sSB496 / File No.
485 6 sSB496 File No.
485 income parameters owed $810 out-of-pocket, and they ultimately paid 63% to 72% of that amount (i.e., $227 to $300 is left unpaid).
The insured patients owed $301, and they ultimately paid69% to 81%of that amount (i.e., $57 to $93 left unpaid).
Section 2 results in a Medicaid cost to the Department of Social Services (DSS) associated with disproportionate share hospital payments (DSH).
The bill requires DSS to make DSH payments to hospitals as compensation for participating in the hospital financial assistance program established by the bill, using criteria to be identified by DSS.
The extent of the cost to DSS is unknown and will be based on participating hospitals, criteria developed, and relevant costs.
For context, DSH payments must meet federal requirements in order for states to receive a 50% federal share and are subject to both hospital and state specific limits.
DSS may also incur increased administrative costs to the extent participating hospitals utilize the appeals process authorized by the bill.
The Out Years The annualized ongoing fiscal impact identified above would continueintothefuturesubjectto thescopeofallowableDSHpayments.
sSB496 / File No.
485 7 sSB496 File No.
485 OLR Bill Analysis sSB 496 AN ACT CONCERNING HOSPITAL UNCOMPENSATED CARE.
SUMMARY This bill establishes a voluntary hospital financial assistance program that requires participating hospitals to provide financial assistance to patients if they meet specified income thresholds and, in some cases, are enrolled in certain federal nutrition assistance programs.
The financial assistance, which may include a hospital bed fund, must partially or totally reduce a patient’s liability for the cost of care.
(Generally, a hospital bed fund refers to donations of money, stock, or other property to a hospital to provide free patient care.) The bill sets related eligibility and care requirements for participating hospitals and authorizes them to be reimbursed by disproportionate share hospital payments (DSH), which are Medicaid payments to hospitals that serve a disproportionately large number of Medicaid and uninsured patients.
Correspondingly, the bill requires the Department of Social Services (DSS) commissioner to amend the Medicaid state plan to use DSH paymentstocompensateparticipatinghospitalsandsetcriteriaforthem to document the financial assistance they provide and receive timely payment for it.
Under the bill, a hospital aggrieved by the commissioner’s final decisiononthevalidityofthehospital’sbillsforfinancialassistance may request a rehearing using existing law’s process for DSS payment rates and audits.
Under this process, hospitals may appeal any items not resolved at a rehearing to the Superior Court, as authorized under the Uniform Administrative Procedure Act.
sSB496 / File No.
485 8 sSB496 File No.
485 EFFECTIVE DATE:
October 1, 2026, except that the provision allowing an aggrieved hospital to request a rehearing takes effect January 1, 2027.
VOLUNTARY HOSPITAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM Care Requirements Underthebill,hospitalsthatchoosetoparticipateinthebill’shospital financial assistance programmust provideinpatient andoutpatient care as follows:
1.
for free to uninsured patients with income up to 200% of the federal poverty level (FPL);
2.
subsidized care to uninsuredpatientswithincome between201% and 300% FPL;
and 3.
subsidized care for patients with income up to 400% FPL who are enrolled in the (a) federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) or (b) Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).
For patients with incomes under 200% FPL who are ineligible for financial assistance, the bill requires participating hospitals to bill them according to a payment plan that is less than 2% of their annual household income.
After 36 cumulative monthly payments, hospitals must consider these patients’ bills paid in full and permanently stop collection activities on any remaining balance.
Eligibility Requirements The bill prohibits participating hospitals from (1) counting a patient’s assets when determining their program eligibility or (2) requiring a patient to provide proof of a denial letter from a public insurance program (the Connecticut Medical Assistance Program, Emergency Medicaid, and Medicare) or insurance through the statewide health exchange (Access Health CT).
Hospitals must use software that meets industry standards on sSB496 / File No.
485 9 sSB496 File No.
485 electronic income verification and may accept one of the following documents to verify a patient’s income:
1.
a copy of the patient’s most recent tax return or W-2 and 1099 forms, 2.
copies of the patient’s two most recent pay stubs, and 3.
an employer’s written income verification if the patient is paid in cash.
The bill exempts from these income verification requirements patients who are experiencing (or are at imminent risk of) homelessness but allows hospitals to require themto provideself-attestedinformation for a program screening or application.
Program Information in Other Languages Regardless of the state’s law on hospital bed funds (see BACKGROUND), the bill requires participating hospitals to make available financial assistance program information in the other languages spoken by at least 5% of the population living in the geographic area the hospital serves.
Under the bill, the information must (1) be included in all discharge paperwork and on the hospital’s website, (2) have the Office of the Health Care Advocate’s contact information, and (3) comply with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act requirements for effective communication (providing free auxiliary aids and services, such as braille, large print, and relay services).
BACKGROUND Hospital Bed Fund Patient Summaries Existing law requires each hospital that maintains or administers bed funds to make available to patients a one-page plain language summary in English and Spanish on its financial assistance policy.
sSB496 / File No.
485 10 sSB496 File No.
485 COMMITTEE ACTION Human Services Committee Joint Favorable Yea 16 Nay 7 (03/19/2026) sSB496 / File No.
485 11
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Action History

  1. FILE NO. 485

  2. SENATE CALENDAR NUMBER 297

  3. FAV. RPT., TAB. FOR CAL., SEN.

  4. RPTD. OUT OF LCO

  5. REFERRED TO Office of Legislative Research AND Office of Fiscal Analysis 04/07/26

  6. FILED WITH LCO

  7. Joint Favorable

  8. PUBLIC HEARING 0317

  9. REF. TO JOINT COMM. ON Human Services

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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5 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 182 not signed on

Sponsors (5)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (182)

182 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 182 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

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Subjects

healthcare health-insurance
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Frequently asked questions

Who sponsors SB 496?
SB 496 is sponsored by Maryam Khan (Democratic), Mary Fortier (Democratic), Martha Marx (Democratic), Saud Anwar (Democratic), and Martin M. Looney (Democratic).
What is the current status of SB 496?
This bill is in committee in the Senate. Introduced March 12, 2026. It must pass committee before a floor vote.
Where can I track SB 496?
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