SB732: Patients Get Refunds and Legal Relief from Non-Compliant Hospitals

Hospitals must prove compliance or face penalties

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What does SB732 want to accomplish?

SB732 helps protect patients by making sure hospitals follow pricing rules before they can collect money or take legal action.

Here’s a simple explanation of the bill:

1. No Collection Actions: Hospitals in Oklahoma cannot take certain actions to collect money from patients if they were not following the rules about price transparency when the patient got their care.
2. Price Transparency Laws: These are rules that hospitals have to follow about showing clear and accurate prices for their services.
3. Patient Rights: If a hospital wasn’t following these rules, patients can sue the hospital. If the hospital is found guilty, they have to:
4. • Refund any money the patient paid.
   • Pay a penalty to the patient.
   • Stop any legal actions they took to collect the money.
   • Fix any bad credit reports related to the debt.
5. Compliance Standards: The hospital’s compliance with federal rules from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will be checked to decide if they were following the price transparency laws.

Who will benefit from this new law?

✔️Patients: If a hospital wasn’t following the rules about pricing transparency when they provided care, patients won’t have to deal with collection actions. They can also get refunds and have their credit restored if they were wronged.

✔️Consumers: The law helps ensure that hospitals are clear about their prices, so consumers can make more informed decisions about their healthcare costs.

✔️People with Disputed Bills: Individuals who believe they were charged unfairly or faced collection actions from non-compliant hospitals can seek compensation and have their debts cleared.

✔️Low-Income or Vulnerable Patients: Those who might be more affected by unfair billing practices or aggressive collection actions will have more protection and support under this law.

What are some concerns people might have about this law?

⚠️Increased Administrative Burden: Hospitals may face more paperwork and administrative tasks to prove they are following price transparency rules, leading to higher operational costs.

⚠️Potential for Higher Prices: To avoid the risk of non-compliance, hospitals might increase their prices to cover potential legal and compliance costs.

⚠️Legal Challenges: The law could lead to more lawsuits, as patients might file claims to check if hospitals were compliant, potentially creating a legal backlog.

⚠️Financial Strain on Hospitals: Hospitals found non-compliant may have to issue refunds and pay penalties, which could strain their finances, especially for smaller or rural hospitals.

⚠️Complex Compliance: Keeping up with price transparency rules and proving compliance can be complex, especially for smaller hospitals with fewer resources.

⚠️Impact on Critical Access Hospitals: These hospitals, which often serve underserved areas, may face challenges meeting the compliance standards by the delayed effective date of June 1, 2024.

⚠️Potential for Disputes: Determining whether a hospital was non-compliant might lead to disputes and disagreements, which could complicate the resolution process for patients and hospitals alike.

⚠️Unintended Consequences: The law might lead to hospitals being more cautious about providing care to avoid potential lawsuits, possibly affecting patient care decisions.

⚠️Increased Costs for Patients: If hospitals raise prices to cover potential penalties and compliance costs, it could lead to higher costs for patients overall.

⚠️Administrative Costs for Enforcement: Government agencies responsible for enforcing the law may incur additional costs, which could affect how efficiently the law is implemented and monitored.

This bill is still making its way through the legislative process. When introduced, this bill was set to go into effect at the end of 2023. It remains in committee.

➡️Is this something that you think Oklahomans need? How will it benefit the county you live in?

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Hi, I'm Judy! I love talking about the area I live in and what affects us. Follow me if you'd like more stories like this.