The Colorado House approved Senate Bill 134, which would require hospitals to discount care to any uninsured patient that makes less than 250 percent of the federal poverty level, and it will now move on to Gov. John Hickenlooper, according to a Denver Business Journal report.
SB134, sponsored by Sen. Irene Aguilar, MD, (D-Denver), would also prohibit hospitals from billing patients more than the hospital's cost of providing care.
Originally, hospitals in the state thought the bill would create financial turmoil for smaller facilities, but an amended portion of the bill eliminated a provision that would have prohibited hospitals from charging an uninsured patient no more than 5 percent of their annual income per year, according to the report.
SB134, sponsored by Sen. Irene Aguilar, MD, (D-Denver), would also prohibit hospitals from billing patients more than the hospital's cost of providing care.
Originally, hospitals in the state thought the bill would create financial turmoil for smaller facilities, but an amended portion of the bill eliminated a provision that would have prohibited hospitals from charging an uninsured patient no more than 5 percent of their annual income per year, according to the report.
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