Senate Bill sb1988

    Florida Senate - 2004                                  SB 1988

    By Senator Aronberg





    27-1208-04                                          See HB 425

  1                      A bill to be entitled

  2         An act relating to uninsured hospital patients;

  3         creating s. 395.3012, F.S.; requiring hospitals

  4         to establish certain policies and procedures to

  5         determine a patient's ability to pay for

  6         certain services; providing criteria; requiring

  7         notification of a patient of such policies and

  8         procedures; providing a definition; providing

  9         an effective date.

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11  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:

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13         Section 1.  Section 395.3012, Florida Statutes, is

14  created to read:

15         395.3012  Procedures for uninsured hospital patients.--

16         (1)  Each hospital shall establish written policies and

17  procedures for determining the capability of uninsured

18  patients to pay for hospital-based medical services that must,

19  at a minimum, provide for:

20         (a)  The collection and review of relevant financial

21  information from the patient.

22         (b)  The assessment by the hospital, to the best of its

23  ability, of the patient's eligibility for governmental or

24  charitable assistance.

25         (c)  The offer to the patient of any discounts or

26  extended payment terms or plans.

27         (d)  The delineation to the patient of the patient's

28  responsibilities for payment and the consequences for failure

29  to pay.

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida Senate - 2004                                  SB 1988
    27-1208-04                                          See HB 425




 1         (2)  The notification to the patient of these policies

 2  and procedures shall be included in the patient's hospital

 3  bill.

 4         (3)  For purposes of this section, the term "patient"

 5  means an uninsured person who is in the process of being

 6  admitted, or in the case of emergency services and care has

 7  been admitted, to the hospital.

 8         Section 2.  This act shall take effect upon becoming a

 9  law.

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.