§ 19a-673b — Initiation of debt collection activities. Prohibition on reporting of medical debt.

(a) As used in this section: (1) “Affiliated with” means (A) employed by a hospital or health system, (B) under a professional services agreement with a hospital or health system that permits such hospital or health system to bill on behalf of such entity, or (C) a clinical faculty member of a medical school, as defined in section 33-182aa , who is affiliated with a hospital or health system in a manner that permits such hospital or health system to bill on behalf of such clinical faculty member. (2) “Owned by” means owned by a hospital or health system when billed under the hospital's tax identification number. (b) No hospital, as defined in section 19a-490 , or entity that is owned by or affiliated with such hospital shall refer to a collection agent, as defined in section 19a-509b , or initiate an action against an individual patient or such patient's estate to collect fees arising from health care provided at a hospital or entity that is owned by or affiliated with such hospital on or after October 1, 2003, unless the hospital or entity that is owned by or affiliated with such hospital has determined that such individual patient is an uninsured patient, as defined in section 19a-673 , who is ineligible for the hospital bed fund. (c) No hospital or entity that is owned by or affiliated with such hospital, as defined in section 19a-490 , and no collection agent, as defined in section 19a-509b , that receives a referral from a hospital or entity that is owned by or affiliated with such hospital, shall: (1) On and after July 1, 2024, report an individual patient to a credit rating agency, as defined in section 36a-695 ; (2) On or after October 1, 2022, initiate an action to foreclose a lien on an individual patient's primary residence if the lien was filed to secure payment for health care provided by the hospital or entity that is owned by or affiliated with such hospital to such patient on or after October 1, 2022; or (3) On or after October 1, 2022, apply to a court for an execution against an individual patient's wages pursuant to section 52-361a , or otherwise seek to garnish such patient's wages, to collect payment for health care provided by the hospital or entity that is owned by or affiliated with such hospital to such patient on or after October 1, 2022, if such patient is eligible for the hospital bed fund. (d) Nothing in subsection (b) or (c) of this section shall affect the ability of a hospital or entity that is owned by or affiliated with such hospital to initiate an action against an individual patient or such patient's estate to collect coinsurance, deductibles or fees arising from health care provided at a hospital or entity that is owned by or affiliated with such hospital where such coinsurance, deductibles or fees may be eligible for reimbursement through awards, settlements or judgments arising from claims, suits or proceedings. In addition, nothing in said subsections shall affect the ability of a hospital or entity that is owned by or affiliated with such hospital to initiate an action against an individual patient or such patient's estate where payment or reimbursement has been made, or likely is to be made, directly to the patient.

Legislative History

(P.A. 03-266, S. 3; P.A. 04-46, S. 1; 04-257, S. 88; P.A. 21-129, S. 2; P.A. 24-6, S. 2.) History: P.A. 04-46 made technical changes and added Subdiv. (1) and (2) indicators in Subsec. (a), effective July 1, 2004; P.A. 04-257 made technical changes, effective June 14, 2004; P.A. 21-129 added new Subsec. (a) defining “affiliated with” and “owned by”, redesignated existing Subsec. (a) as Subsec. (b) and amended same by adding references to entity owned by or affiliated with a hospital and making technical changes, added Subsec. (c) prohibiting a hospital, an entity owned by or affiliated with a hospital or a collection agent from performing certain collection actions on or after October 1, 2022, redesignated existing Subsec. (b) as Subsec. (d) and amended same by adding references to entity owned by or affiliated with a hospital and making technical changes, effective October 1, 2022; P.A. 24-6 amended Subsec. (c) by adding prohibition on reporting of medical debt and made technical changes, effective July 1, 2024.