Georgia CommonsSB 626: 'Georgia Medical Debt Fairness Act'; enact
Introduced version, the latest LegiScan holds · Last action March 19, 2026 · Introduced
The text as LegiScan holds it, read from the PDF the legislature publishes with its margin line numbers, running heads, and page footers removed. Line breaks are joined into paragraphs here; no word is changed.
Underlined words are what the bill adds to current law and struck-through words are what it removes, as the printed bill shows them.
Senate Bill 626
By: Senator Hufstetler of the 52nd
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Chapter 7 of Title 31 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to regulation and construction of hospitals and other health care facilities, so as to provide for certain consumer financial assistance and protections with regard to medical debt arising from certain healthcare services received by patients at hospitals; to provide a short title; to provide definitions; to provide for the Department of Community Health to publish on its website a uniform sample financial assistance policy, screening tool, and application form; to provide for hospital implementation; to provide for requirements prior to billing; to provide for compliance; to provide for copayments and deductibles; to provide for notice on hospital bills; to provide for an appeal of financial assistance eligibility or charity care determination; to provide for incorrect determination protections; to prohibit certain financing products; to provide for payment plans; to prohibit debt collection under certain circumstances; to provide for enforcement; to provide for rules and regulations; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Chapter 7 of Title 31 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to regulation and construction of hospitals and other health care facilities, is amended by adding a new article to read as follows:
"ARTICLE 17
31-7-450.
This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the 'Georgia Medical Debt Fairness Act.'
31-7-451.
As used in this article, the term:
(1) 'Debt collector' means any person that regularly collects or attempts to collect, directly or indirectly, debts for another person or entity or uses some name other than its own when collecting debts.
(2) 'Emergency medical services' means physical or mental health care services rendered for a medical or traumatic condition, sickness, or injury, including a mental health condition or substance use disorder, in which a person is exhibiting acute symptoms of sufficient severity, including, but not limited to, severe pain, regardless of the initial, interim, final, or other diagnoses that are given, that would lead a prudent layperson possessing an average knowledge of medicine and health to believe that his or her condition, sickness, or injury is of such a nature that failure to obtain immediate medical care could result in:
(A) Placing the patient's health in serious jeopardy;
(B) Serious impairment to bodily functions; or
(C) Serious dysfunction of any bodily organ or part.
(3) 'Healthcare services' means services for the diagnosis, prevention, treatment, cure, or relief of a physical, mental, or behavioral health condition, illness, injury, or disease, including mental health and substance abuse disorders. Such term includes but is not limited to emergency medical services or nonemergency medical services and the provision of pharmaceutical products or services and durable medical equipment or other devices.
(4) 'Hospital' means a publicly or privately owned hospital licensed pursuant to this chapter. Such term includes any hospital, nonprofit hospital, or hospital owned or operated by a hospital authority or a nonprofit corporation formed, created, or operated by or on behalf of a hospital authority.
(5) 'Medical debt' means an amount owed by a patient to a hospital for healthcare services received at the hospital or to the hospital's agent or assignee.
31-7-452.
(a) No later than January 1, 2027, the department shall create and post in a prominent location on its website a uniform sample financial assistance policy, screening tool, and application form for hospital implementation pursuant to this article.
(b) The uniform financial assistance policy under subsection (a) of this Code section shall include but not be limited to:
(1) Eligibility criteria for financial assistance and whether such assistance includes discounted or charity care;
(2) The basis for calculating amounts charged to patients;
(3) The method for applying for financial assistance;
(4) The actions that may be taken in the event of nonpayment; and
(5) The information obtained from sources other than an individual seeking financial assistance that a hospital may use and whether and under what circumstances a hospital may use prior eligibility determinations to presumptively determine that a patient is eligible for financial assistance.
(c) Each hospital shall implement financial assistance policies, screening tools, application forms, and procedures that comply with this article. Any such policy shall apply to all healthcare services received by a patient at the hospital, unless such services were provided by an independent healthcare provider that bills separately from such hospital. The implementation required by this subsection shall apply whether or not a hospital is required to develop a financial assistance policy under 26 U.S.C. Section 501(r)(4) and implementing regulations.
31-7-453.
(a) All hospitals, prior to billing a patient receiving healthcare services at such hospital, shall:
(1) Screen the patient for financial assistance eligibility using a screening tool as provided for in Code Section 31-7-452; provided, however, that such patient may decline to provide information to the hospital;
(2) Provide the patient with a financial assistance application form as provided for Code Section 31-7-452 and offer to assist in completing such form; provided, however, that such patient may decline to complete such form;
(3) Automatically enroll any such patient who qualifies for financial assistance; and
(4) Automatically apply any discounts available to any such patient. (b)(1) No hospital shall deliver any bill to a patient receiving healthcare services at such hospital prior to complying with the requirements provided for in subsection (a) of this Code section. A hospital shall be deemed compliant with paragraph (1) of subsection (a) of this Code section if the hospital has screened the patient for financial assistance eligibility, has updated financial assistance eligibility information on the patient at least once within the calendar year, or has documented that the patient has declined to provide information to the hospital.
(2) The prohibition provided for in this subsection shall not preclude a hospital from collecting any copayment or deductible at the time of providing a healthcare service.
(c) Each bill sent to a patient receiving healthcare services at a hospital shall include notice of the availability of financial assistance, the contact information for the office or department of the hospital that can provide information about obtaining financing assistance, and a link to the financial assistance policy for such hospital.
(d) A patient may apply for financial assistance or charity care if such patient was screened for eligibility and found not to be eligible or was screened and found to be eligible but such patient disagrees with the amount of charity care.
(e) If a hospital makes an incorrect financial assistance eligibility determination based on information provided by the patient or available to the hospital at the time of such determination, such hospital shall:
(1) Credit to such patient's account the amount of charity care for which the patient qualified and reimburse any other associated reasonable costs incurred by the patient in securing charity care, including but not limited to reasonable legal expenses and fees; and
(2) If such hospital transferred such patient's medical debt to a debt collector or authorized a debt collector to collect such debt on behalf of the hospital, such hospital shall notify such debt collector that such medical debt is no longer valid.
31-7-454.
(a) No hospital shall offer financing products, including but not limited to consumer credit cards or installment loans, to a patient for medical debt arising from healthcare services provided at such hospital if such products include an interest rate greater than 1 percent of such medical debt.
(b) A hospital may offer a payment plan to a patient for medical debt arising from healthcare services provided at such hospital only after the hospital is in compliance with all provisions in subsection (a) of Code Section 31-7-453 and exhausts all other coverage and payment options available for such patient; provided, however, that no such payment plan shall result in fees, late charges, maintenance charges, or interest rate greater than 1 percent of the medical debt for the duration of the medical debt.
31-7-455.
(a) No hospital shall pursue collections against a patient for medical debt arising from healthcare services provided to such patient at such hospital unless the hospital complies with all provisions in subsection (a) of Code Section 31-7-453 and exhausts all other coverage and payment options available for the patient.
(b) No hospital shall pursue collections against a patient for medical debt arising from healthcare services provided to such patient at such hospital while the patient is appealing insurance coverage, applying for financial assistance, applying for charity care, appealing a determination regarding eligibility for or the amount of charity care, negotiating a bill within such medical debt, or participating in a payment plan offered by the hospital.
31-7-456.
The department shall enforce this article and promulgate rules and regulations required to administer this Code section."
SECTION 2.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.