Florida House Committee Passes Discounts For Uninsured Patients
The Florida House Health Care Committee on Tuesday voted 14-6 to approve a bill that would require hospitals to provide discounts to people who have no insurance coverage and whose annual incomes are up to 300% of the federal poverty level, the Miami Herald reports. Under the bill, sponsored by state Rep. Marcelo Llorente (R), hospitals would be allowed to charge patients only twice the rate that they charge for those covered by Medicare. The measure would require hospitals to create a policy for "self-pay patients" and inform them of the discounts for which they are qualified. The bill "is a response to increasing criticism by consumer groups" regarding the "inequitable rate system" for uninsured and insured patients, the Herald reports. According to the Herald, under the current system, uninsured patients receive bills that can equal "as much as five times what [hospitals] charge [insured] patients." Llorente said, "[I]t's very important for consumers who want to pay their debts to see a bill that's three or four times less than they've been given," adding, "It's an issue of compassion for persons that are uninsured." The state Senate has yet to consider similar legislation. According to the Herald, the state House bill has "changed significantly" since the Florida Hospital Association in January gave its support for such a measure. According to the Herald, the association is concerned that the changes to the rate policy could "have unintended consequences." Rich Rasmussen, FHA communications director, also said that because the bulk of uninsured patients treated in Florida hospitals are children and pregnant women, the hospitals are not clear on what guidelines to use to charge them under the new measure because neither group typically is covered by Medicare (Klas, Miami Herald, 3/24).
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