Bill Text: NY S07778 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

---

Bill Title: Prohibits state-operated hospitals from suing patients for medical debt; defines "medical debt".

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2024-01-22 - REPORTED AND COMMITTED TO FINANCE [S07778 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S07778-Introduced.html

---

                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          7778

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                    November 29, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  Sen.  RIVERA -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules

        AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to prohibiting state-
          operated hospitals from suing patients for medical debt

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. The public health law is amended by adding a new article 51
     2  to read as follows:
     3                                 ARTICLE 51
     4         PROHIBITION ON STATE-OPERATED HOSPITALS SUING PATIENTS FOR
     5                                MEDICAL DEBT
     6  Section 5100. Prohibition on state-operated hospitals suing patients for
     7                  medical debt.
     8    §  5100.  Prohibition  on  state-operated hospitals suing patients for
     9  medical debt. 1. No state university  health  care  facility  authorized
    10  under  article  eight  of the education law, cancer institute authorized
    11  under article ten-C of the public authorities law, or  hospital  author-
    12  ized under section twenty-six hundred of this chapter shall pursue liti-
    13  gation  in civil or supreme court against a patient for the pursuit of a
    14  medical debt.
    15    2. For the purposes of this section, the  term  "medical  debt"  shall
    16  mean an obligation or alleged obligation of a consumer to pay any amount
    17  related  to  the  receipt  of health care services, products, or devices
    18  provided to a person by a hospital licensed under  article  twenty-eight
    19  of this chapter, a health care professional authorized under title eight
    20  of  the  education  law  or an ambulance service certified under article
    21  thirty of this chapter.
    22    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.


         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD13371-02-3