SB 1192 — AN ACT CONCERNING HOSPITAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.

Senate General Assembly RaisedFile Bill No.

11928 January Session, 2025 LCOSubstitute Senate Bill No.

37301192 ReferredSenate, toFebruary 25, 2025 The Committee on PUBLICPublic HEALTHHealth Introducedreported by:through SEN.

(PH)ANWAR ANof ACTthe CONCERNING3rd HOSPITALDist., FINANCIALChairperson ASSISTANCE.of the Committee on the part of the Senate, that the substitute bill ought to pass.

AN ACT CONCERNING HOSPITAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.

The portal may include, but need not be limited to, (1) technical assistance and tools that streamline the application process for hospital financial assistance, (2) a screening tool to help determine whether patients may be eligible for hospital financial assistance, and (3)sSB1192 information/ toFile assist patients and family members in avoiding future LCO No.

37308 1 ofsSB1192 2File Raised Bill No.

11928 (3) information to assist patients and family members in avoiding future medical debt.

(d) On and after July 1, 2026, any hospital maintaining a financial assistance program shall provide the Office of the Healthcare Advocate with the (1) links for each Internet web site for such program.program, and (2) telephone number and electronic mail address for the hospital's financial assistance referral contact.

If a hospital revises its hospital financial assistance application formform, changes its financial assistance referral contact or establishes a new hospital financial assistance program, the hospital shall notify the Office oftheHealthcareof the Healthcare Advocate ofsuchrevisionsorof newprogramandsuch providesaidofficerevisions, withanychanges newlinksforeachInternetwebsiteor new program and provide said office with any new links for each Internet web site or the telephone number and electronic mail address of the new referral contact for such program not later than thirty days after making such revisions or changes or establishing a new program.

Section 1 July 1, 2025 New section StatementPH ofJoint Purpose:Favorable Subst.

TosSB1192 improve/ hospitalFile financialNo. policies.

[Proposed8 deletions2 aresSB1192 enclosedFile inNo. brackets.

Proposed8 additionsThe arefollowing indicatedFiscal byImpact underline,Statement exceptand underlined.]eBill entireAnalysis textare prepared for the benefit of athe billmembers orof resolutionthe orGeneral aAssembly, sectionsolely offor apurposes billof orinformation, resolutionsummarization isand new,explanation itand isdo not LCOrepresent No.the intent of the General Assembly or either chamber thereof for any purpose.

3730In 2general, fiscal impacts are based upon a variety of 2informational 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 26 $ FY 27 $ Healthcare Advocate, Off.

IF - Cost See Below See Below Note:

IF=Insurance Fund Municipal Impact:

None Explanation The bill results in a one-time cost to the Office of the Healthcare Advocate (OHA) of at least $50,000 to the Insurance Fund as it requires OHA to contract with a vendor to develop an online hospital financial assistance portal for patients and family members.

The contract cost will depend on the features and functionality included in the portal.

There may also be ongoing costs for portal maintenance.

The bill does not specify a deadline regarding an operational portal so it is unclear in which fiscal year the initial cost will be incurred.

The bill additionally requires hospitals maintaining a financial assistance program to submit certain information to OHA, which has no fiscal impact.

The Out Years The annualized ongoing fiscal impact identified above would continue into the future subject to the timing of OHA’s contract with a vendor and the need for ongoing portal maintenance costs.

sSB1192 / File No.

8 3 sSB1192 File No.

8 OLR Bill Analysis sSB 1192 AN ACT CONCERNING HOSPITAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.

SUMMARY This bill requires the Office of the Healthcare Advocate (OHA), within available appropriations, to contract with a vendor to developan online hospital financial assistance portal for patients and family members.

Under the bill, the portal must serve as a navigation tool to help patients and family members identify and apply for hospital financial assistance at Connecticut hospitals that would partially or fully reduce patients’ liability for the cost of care.

At a minimum, the portal may include:

1.

technical assistance and tools that streamline the application process for assistance, 2.

a screening tool to help determine whether patients may be eligible for assistance, and 3.

information to help patients and family members avoid future medical debt.

The bill also authorizes OHA to (1) consult with the Office of Policy and Management and publish information about the state’s medical debt erasure initiative on the OHA website (see BACKGROUND) and (2) develop, in consultation with relevant organizations, recommendations on the initiative that may help patients and family members avoid future medical debt, including ways to streamline the hospital financial assistance application process.

StartingJuly1,2026,hospitalsthatofferfinancialassistanceprograms sSB1192 / File No.

8 4 sSB1192 File No.

8 must give OHA contact information for their programs (i.e., website links, email addresses, and phone numbers).