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1 | AN ACT concerning regulation.
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2 | Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
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3 | represented in the General Assembly:
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4 | Section 5. The Fair Patient Billing Act is amended by | |||||||||||||||||||||
5 | changing Section 30 and by adding Section 33 as follows: | |||||||||||||||||||||
6 | (210 ILCS 88/30)
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7 | Sec. 30. Pursuing collection action.
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8 | (a) Hospitals and their agents may pursue collection action | |||||||||||||||||||||
9 | against an uninsured patient only if the following conditions | |||||||||||||||||||||
10 | are met: | |||||||||||||||||||||
11 | (1) The hospital has given the uninsured patient the | |||||||||||||||||||||
12 | opportunity to: | |||||||||||||||||||||
13 | (A) assess the accuracy of the bill; | |||||||||||||||||||||
14 | (B) apply for financial assistance under the | |||||||||||||||||||||
15 | hospital's financial assistance policy; and | |||||||||||||||||||||
16 | (C) avail themselves of a reasonable payment plan. | |||||||||||||||||||||
17 | (2) If the uninsured patient has indicated an inability | |||||||||||||||||||||
18 | to pay the full amount of the debt in one payment, the | |||||||||||||||||||||
19 | hospital has offered the patient a reasonable payment plan. | |||||||||||||||||||||
20 | The hospital may require the uninsured patient to provide | |||||||||||||||||||||
21 | reasonable verification of his or her inability to pay the | |||||||||||||||||||||
22 | full amount of the debt in one payment. | |||||||||||||||||||||
23 | (3) To the extent the hospital provides financial |
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1 | assistance and the circumstances of the uninsured patient | ||||||
2 | suggest the potential for eligibility for charity care, the | ||||||
3 | uninsured patient has been given at least 60 days following | ||||||
4 | the date of discharge or receipt of outpatient care to | ||||||
5 | submit an application for financial assistance. | ||||||
6 | (4) If the uninsured patient has agreed to a reasonable | ||||||
7 | payment plan with the hospital, and the patient has failed | ||||||
8 | to make payments in accordance with that reasonable payment | ||||||
9 | plan. | ||||||
10 | (5) If the uninsured patient informs the hospital that | ||||||
11 | he or she has applied for health care coverage under | ||||||
12 | Medicaid, Kidcare, or other government-sponsored health | ||||||
13 | care program (and there is a reasonable basis to believe | ||||||
14 | that the patient will qualify for such program) but the | ||||||
15 | patient's application is denied.
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16 | (b) A hospital may not refer a bill, or portion thereof, to | ||||||
17 | a collection agency or attorney for collection action against | ||||||
18 | the insured patient, without first offering the patient the | ||||||
19 | opportunity to request a reasonable payment plan for the amount | ||||||
20 | personally owed by the patient. Such an opportunity shall be | ||||||
21 | made available for the 30 days following the date of the | ||||||
22 | initial bill , or after exhaustion of the process outlined in | ||||||
23 | subsections (a) and (b) of Section 33 . If the insured patient | ||||||
24 | requests a reasonable payment plan, but fails to agree to a | ||||||
25 | plan within 30 days of the request, the hospital may proceed | ||||||
26 | with collection action against the patient. |
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1 | (c) No collection agency, law firm, or individual may | ||||||
2 | initiate legal action for non-payment of a hospital bill | ||||||
3 | against a patient without the written approval of an authorized | ||||||
4 | hospital employee who reasonably believes that the conditions | ||||||
5 | for pursuing collection action under this Section have been | ||||||
6 | met. | ||||||
7 | (d) Nothing in this Section prohibits a hospital from | ||||||
8 | engaging an outside third party agency, firm, or individual to | ||||||
9 | manage the process of implementing the hospital's financial | ||||||
10 | assistance and reasonable payment plan programs and policies so | ||||||
11 | long as such agency, firm, or individual is contractually bound | ||||||
12 | to comply with the terms of this Act.
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13 | (Source: P.A. 94-885, eff. 1-1-07.) | ||||||
14 | (210 ILCS 88/33 new) | ||||||
15 | Sec. 33. Supplemental policy collection action. | ||||||
16 | (a) Before pursuing a collection action against an insured | ||||||
17 | patient for the unpaid amount of services rendered, a health | ||||||
18 | care provider must review a patient's file to ensure that the | ||||||
19 | patient does not have a supplemental policy. | ||||||
20 | (b) If, after reviewing a patient's file, the health care | ||||||
21 | provider finds no supplemental policy in the patient's record, | ||||||
22 | the provider must then provide notice to the patient, and give | ||||||
23 | that patient an opportunity to (1) assess the accuracy of the | ||||||
24 | bill; (2) indicate or clarify whether he or she is covered by a | ||||||
25 | supplemental policy; and (3) address the payment of the unpaid |
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1 | sum. | ||||||
2 | (c) If, after exhausting the requirements of subsections | ||||||
3 | (a) and (b) of this Section, a health care provider has neither | ||||||
4 | found information indicating the existence of a supplemental | ||||||
5 | policy, nor received payment for services rendered to the | ||||||
6 | patient, the health care provider may proceed with a collection | ||||||
7 | action against the patient, as provided under subsection (b) of | ||||||
8 | Section 30 of this Act. | ||||||
9 | (d) For purposes of this Section, "supplemental policy" | ||||||
10 | means a Medicare supplement policy, as defined in subsection | ||||||
11 | (c) of Section 363 of the Illinois Insurance Code, or any other | ||||||
12 | secondary payer health insurance plan.
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