SB626: SB626 'Georgia Medical Debt Fairness Act'; enact

Right now Georgia hospitals are not uniformly required to check whether a patient qualifies for financial help before sending a bill or turning debt over to collections. This bill would change that by adding a new article to Georgia's hospital regulation law (O.C.G.A. Title 31, Chapter 7). The Department of Community Health would post a standard financial assistance policy, screening tool, and application form by January 1, 2027, and every hospital would have to adopt matching procedures. Hospitals would have to screen patients, offer help applying, and automatically enroll and discount eligible patients before billing them, though patients could decline. Hospitals could still collect copayments or deductibles up front. The bill caps interest and fees on hospital financing products and payment plans at 1 percent of the debt, and bars collections while a patient is appealing coverage, applying for assistance, or on a payment plan. The department would enforce the law and write implementing rules.

• Requires the Department of Community Health to publish a uniform financial assistance policy, screening tool, and application form by January 1, 2027.
• Requires every hospital to screen patients for financial assistance eligibility and automatically enroll and apply discounts to those who qualify before billing them.
• Bars hospitals from billing a patient until required screening steps are complete, though copayments and deductibles can still be collected at time of service.
• Caps interest, fees, and charges on hospital financing products and payment plans for medical debt at 1 percent of the debt.
• Prohibits hospitals from pursuing debt collection while a patient is appealing coverage, applying for assistance, or in a payment plan.
• Requires hospitals that make an incorrect financial assistance determination to credit the patient's account and notify any debt collector that the debt is no longer valid.

Georgia hospital patients facing medical bills, all publicly and privately owned hospitals licensed in the state, hospital billing and financial assistance offices, debt collectors that pursue hospital medical debt, and the Department of Community Health, which must create the forms and enforce the law.

Patients would get a guaranteed screening for financial help before a bill arrives, protection from high-interest hospital financing, and a pause on debt collection while they appeal or apply for assistance. Hospitals would face new administrative steps and limits on how they finance and collect medical debt.

• Code Section 31-7-450 names the new law the 'Georgia Medical Debt Fairness Act.'
• Code Section 31-7-451 defines key terms including 'medical debt,' 'hospital,' 'healthcare services,' and 'debt collector.'
• Code Section 31-7-452 requires the department to post a uniform financial assistance policy, screening tool, and application form by January 1, 2027, and requires each hospital to implement matching procedures.
• Code Section 31-7-453 requires hospitals to screen and offer assistance applications before billing, sets notice requirements on bills, and requires correction of incorrect eligibility determinations.
• Code Section 31-7-454 caps interest on hospital financing products and payment plans for medical debt at 1 percent and requires hospitals to exhaust other coverage options before offering a payment plan.
• Code Section 31-7-455 bars collections against a patient who has not been screened or who is appealing, applying for assistance, or on a payment plan.
• Code Section 31-7-456 directs the Department of Community Health to enforce the article and issue implementing rules and regulations.

1. 2026-03-19Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
2. 2026-03-18Senate Hopper (Senate)

• Chuck Hufstetler (R, SD-052)Primary sponsor

• medical debt
• hospital billing
• financial assistance
• debt collection
• healthcare costs