Press Release
CSS Thanks New York State Lawmakers for Protecting Patients from Mounting Medical Debt
The effort to eliminate medical debt in the state notched another victory today, thanks to the New York State Legislature.
By significant majorities, the State Senate and Assembly both passed legislation banning facility fees for all preventative care and requiring hospital-affiliated providers to inform patients in advance if they will be charged one. The legislation in the Senate — S.2521C — passed on a bipartisan basis by 48 to 13. The vote in the Assembly on A.3470C was 96 to 41.
The Community Service Society (CSS) thanks Senator Gustavo Rivera, Chair of the Senate Health Committee, and prime sponsor of S.2521C, and Richard Gottfried, Chair of the Assembly Health Committee, and prime sponsor of A.3470C, as well as members of the State Senate and State Assembly for passing this critically important piece of legislation.
Passage of the facilities fees legislation comes one week after state lawmakers passed legislation protecting patients from liens against their primary residences and wage garnishments due to money judgments in medical debt collection actions brought by hospitals or health care professionals. Legislative efforts to rein in policies that contribute to medical debt correspond with findings from a recent statewide survey of New Yorkers’ opinions on healthcare affordability and medical costs. According to the survey, about half of New Yorkers said they are not very confident that they can pay for basic healthcare services. The poll also found that more than 70 percent of New Yorkers want assistance helping to pay their bills with a majority supporting a law that would prevent nonprofit hospitals from pursuing extraordinary medical debt actions, such as filing liens on homes or garnishing wages.
Another medical debt bill we hope state lawmakers pass before the legislative session ends, S.B7625/A.8441, would establish a single uniform financial assistance application for all hospitals to make it easier for patients to find and apply for financial assistance. This legislation is on the Senate floor and could be voted on before the legislature adjourns in June.
Protecting New Yorkers from hospital policies and practices that contribute to patient medical debt is critical to safeguarding the finances of millions of New Yorkers. We urge the Governor to sign this legislation.