AB 2297 (Friedman, D-Burbank)

AB 2297 prohibits hospitals from considering patients’ monetary assets when determining eligibility for financial assistance, imposing a time limit on eligibility, or placing liens on a patient’s real property. The bill also reinstates the requirement for patients to pay hospitals when a health insurance company pays a patient directly or a patient receives money from a lawsuit. The bill also allows hospitals to consider certain assets of a Medicare patient when determining eligibility for financial assistance to allow compliance with Medicare bad debt rules. The bill requires hospitals to make other changes to their financial assistance and billing policies.