(a) As used in this section:

(1) “Cost of providing services” means a hospital's published charges at the time of billing, multiplied by the hospital's most recent relationship of costs to charges as taken from the hospital's most recently available annual financial filing with the unit.

(2) “Hospital” means an institution licensed by the Department of Public Health as a short-term general hospital.

(3) “Poverty income guidelines” means the poverty income guidelines issued from time to time by the United States Department of Health and Human Services.

(4) “Uninsured patient” means any person who is liable for one or more hospital charges whose income is at or below two hundred fifty per cent of the poverty income guidelines who (A) has applied and been denied eligibility for any medical or health care coverage provided under the Medicaid program due to failure to satisfy income or other eligibility requirements, and (B) is not eligible for coverage for hospital services under the Medicare or CHAMPUS programs, or under any Medicaid or health insurance program of any other nation, state, territory or commonwealth, or under any other governmental or privately sponsored health or accident insurance or benefit program including, but not limited to, workers' compensation and awards, settlements or judgments arising from claims, suits or proceedings involving motor vehicle accidents or alleged negligence.

(b) No hospital that has provided health care services to an uninsured patient may collect from the uninsured patient more than the cost of providing services.

(c) Each collection agent, as defined in section 19a-509b, engaged in collecting a debt from a patient arising from services provided at a hospital shall provide written notice to such patient as to whether the hospital deems the patient an insured patient or an uninsured patient and the reasons for such determination.

(P.A. 94-9, S. 36, 41; P.A. 95-257, S. 12, 21, 58; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-2, S. 96, 165; P.A. 03-266, S. 5; P.A. 04-76, S. 30; 04-257, S. 39; P.A. 10-179, S. 122; P.A. 11-44, S. 133; P.A. 18-91, S. 43.)

History: P.A. 94-9 effective April 1, 1994; P.A. 95-257 replaced Commissioner and Department of Public Health and Addiction Services with Commissioner and Department of Public Health, effective July 1, 1995; Sec. 19a-169e transferred to Sec. 19a-673 in 1997; June 18 Sp. Sess. P.A. 97-2 made technical changes in Subdiv. (4) of Subsec. (a), effective July 1, 1997; P.A. 03-266 amended Subsec. (a)(1) by deleting “of an uninsured patient” and changing “audited financial statements” to “annual financial filing with the Office of Health Care Access”, amended Subsec. (a)(4) by adding “who is liable for one or more hospital charges” and changing income level from 200% to 250%, and added Subsec. (c) re written notice from collection agent; P.A. 04-76 amended Subsec. (a)(4)(A) by replacing reference to “general assistance program” with reference to “state-administered general assistance program”; P.A. 04-257 made a technical change in Subsec. (c), effective June 14, 2004; P.A. 10-179 replaced “Office of Health Care Access” with “office” in Subsec. (a)(1); P.A. 11-44 amended Subsec. (a)(4) to redefine “uninsured patient” by deleting reference to state-administered general assistance program, effective July 1, 2011; P.A. 18-91 amended Subsec. (a)(1) by replacing “office” with “unit”, effective May 14, 2018.