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Providing Consumer Protection Pass Consumer Protections Against Hospital Overcharging AB774: Uninsured and Overcharged: Consumer Protections for Hospital Patients SB379: Consumer & Financial Protections for Hospital Patients
SB379: Consumer & Financial Protections for Hospital Patients
We urge your support for SB379 (Ortiz), to provide consumer and financial protections for self-pay hospital patients.
Problem: The 6.2 million uninsured Californians-over 80% in working families-face both a health problem and a financial problem.
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Uninsured families who go to the hospital for needed care are often charged exorbitant rates, often much higher than the rate for insured patients.
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Large medical bills are often sent to collection agencies, ruining an uninsured family's financial future. A recent Harvard study indicates that medical bills and health issues are a leading factor in half of all personal bankruptcies.
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Uninsured families are often unaware of the financial options that exist, from public insurance programs to the hospitals own charity care policies.
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Fearful of the financial repercussions and unaware of their rights and options, uninsured families all too often avoid getting the care they need, resulting in devastating health impacts. A recent Urban Institute report showed that uninsured adults in California are far less likely to go to the emergency room (12.1% had at least one visit in 1999) than those on private insurance (20.8%) or public programs (32.9%).
Legislation: The bill, SB379 (Ortiz), sets consumer and financial protections so that uninsured families stand a better Ortizce of getting the hospital care they need without facing financial ruin.
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The bill requires that uninsured patients are given notice about their consumer rights and financial options when seeking care at a California hospital, including the ability to apply for public health insurance or other assistance.
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Patients would be given the opportunity to negotiate payments and payment plans before their bill is sent to collections, which can ruin a family's credit report and their financial future.
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For patients that meet certain income guidelines, hospitals will be prevented from overcharging beyond the Medi-Cal, Medicare, or worker's compensation rate.*
*The protection against overcharging is tailored to low- and moderate-income families that mostly can't afford or can't obtain coverage-those families under 400% of federal poverty level, or 500% for one- and two-person households. These protections only cover an individual who makes less than $45,000, or a couple or family of three that makes less than $60,000. The only other people protected from overcharging are the medically uninsurable (and even then under 700% of the poverty level), who cannot get health coverage due to "pre-existing conditions."
Support: A wide range of organizations representing consumers, seniors, children, labor, communities of color, people of faith, and grassroots constituencies, including Consumers Union, Western Center on Law and Poverty, AARP, California Labor Federation, ACORN, Congress of California Seniors, California Pan-Ethnic Health Network, MALDEF, Latino Issues Forum, National Council of La Raza, Children Now, California Church Impact, and many others.
Sponsors: Health Access California Contact: Beth Capell, (916) 497-0760, Anthony Wright, (916) 442-2308
SB379 Supporters
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SB379 (Ortiz), which would provide strong consumer protections for self-pay hospital patients to prevent them from facing financial ruin, enjoys strong support from a broad, statewide coalition of organizations representing:
Consumers
Health Access California (co-sponsor)
Consumers Union
California Consumer Health Care Council |
Children
Children's Advocacy Institute
100% Campaign, including
Children Now,
Children's Defense Fund, &
Children's Partnership |
Communities of Color
Asian Pacific American Legal Center of Southern CA (APALC)
CA Pan-Ethnic Health Network
Latino Coalition for a Healthy California
Latino Issues Forum
Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF)
National Council of La Raza |
Labor, including health care professionals
American Federation of State, County, & Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
CA Federation of Teachers (CFT)
CA Labor Federation
CA Nurses Association (CNA)
Service Employees International Union, State Council (SEIU) |
Health Providers
Center for Independence of the Disabled
College Health Enterprises
College Hospital Costa Mesa
Community Health Works of San Francisco
Community Hospital of San Bernardino
Lifelong Medical Care
La Maestra Family Clinic
Southern California Rehabilitation Services
Stanislaus County Health Services Agency
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Low-income Families
CA ACORN
CA Immigrant Welfare Collaborative
Services, Immigrant Rights, and Education Network (SIREN)
Human Services Alliance
Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County
National Health Law Program (NHeLP)
Western Center on Law and Poverty |
People of Faith
CA Church Impact
Jericho |
Women
CA National Organization of Women (NOW)
CA Commission on the Status of Women |
Seniors
AARP CA
Congress of California Seniors
Gray Panthers CA
Older Women's League of CA (OWL) |
Uninsured Families
Coalition for Community Health
Health Care for All CA
Insure the Uninsured Project (ITUP)
Vote Health |
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