SB 648 — 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
 1   Establishing requirements for hospital-based financial
 2      assistance; providing for hospital-based financial assistance
 3      forms, for information about hospital-based financial
 4      assistance programs and for reporting of hospital-based
 5      financial assistance policies; and imposing duties on the
 6      Department of Health.
 7      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
 8   hereby enacts as follows:
 9   Section 1.   Short title.
10      This act shall be known and may be cited as the Hospital-
11   Based Financial Assistance Act.
12   Section 2.   Definitions.
13      The following words and phrases when used in this act shall
14   have the meanings given to them in this section unless the
15   context clearly indicates otherwise:
16      "Department."   The Department of Health of the Commonwealth.
17      "Eligible patient."      An individual who meets all of the
18   following requirements:
19          (1)   Is a resident of this Commonwealth.
 1            (2)   Can demonstrate an inability to pay the cost of
 2      medical care even after the application of payments for
 3      third-party health coverage.
 4            (3)   Provides financial information and documentation
 5      showing that their income and assets make them eligible for
 6      hospital-based financial assistance under the policies of the
 7      hospital and of this act.
 8      "Hospital."     A nonprofit or private hospital in this
 9   Commonwealth.
10      "Hospital-based financial assistance."     Financial assistance
11   provided by hospitals to patients that includes charity care or
12   discounted care where the cost of care ordinarily charged by a
13   hospital is provided free of charge or at a reduced rate or a
14   hospital relieves an eligible patient's medical bill in part or
15   in full based on eligibility criteria.
16   Section 3.     Hospital-based financial assistance forms.
17      (a)   Forms.--The department shall develop the following forms
18   and make them available to hospitals and the general public:
19            (1)   A uniform application for financial assistance that
20      shall be used in every hospital in this Commonwealth to
21      determine if an individual is an eligible patient.
22            (2)   A uniform one-page template all hospitals shall use
23      to summarize each hospital's eligibility information for
24      hospital-based financial assistance.
25            (3)   A brief uniform statement of the availability of
26      hospital-based financial assistance and of the application
27      for hospital-based financial assistance.
28      (b)   Development of form.--The department shall include input
29   from hospitals and the general public in developing the forms
30   described in subsection (a)(1), (2) and (3).

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 1      (c)   Time frame.--The department shall develop the forms
 2   within 180 days of the effective date of this subsection.
 3   Section 4.   Information about hospital-based financial
 4                assistance programs.
 5      (a)   Accessibility of forms.--Each form outlined in section
 6   3(a) shall be posted by hospitals online in a publicly
 7   accessible format. A full copy of the hospital's financial
 8   assistance policies shall also be published along with the
 9   summary in section 3(a)(2).
10      (b)   Disclosure to patients.--A hospital shall provide the
11   form discussed in section 3(a)(2) to all patients upon intake
12   and discharge. Additionally, a hospital shall place the uniform
13   statement provided for in section 3(a)(3) on all bills, billing
14   statements, good faith estimates, admittance forms and discharge
15   paperwork.
16      (c)   Liability for bills.--Upon submission of a completed
17   application for hospital-based financial assistance, the patient
18   shall not be liable for any bills until the hospital has
19   rendered a decision on the application.
20   Section 5.   Reporting of hospital-based financial assistance
21                policies.
22      All hospitals that have a hospital-based financial assistance
23   policy shall provide a full copy of the hospital's financial
24   assistance policies and the summary specified in section 3(a)(2)
25   to the department for placement on the department's publicly
26   accessible Internet website.
27   Section 6.   Applicability.
28      This act shall apply to each hospital with a hospital-based
29   financial assistance policy.
30   Section 7.   Effective date.

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1     This act shall take effect as follows:
2         (1)   Sections 4 and 5 shall take effect in 270 days.
3         (2)   The remainder of this act shall take effect
4     immediately.




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