Alabama Senate Takes on Hospital Billing

The Alabama State Senate is introducing a bill limiting the practice of over-charging uninsured.

Alabama State Senator Lowell Barron, D-Fyffe, wants the bill to provide comparable pricing to uninsured patients, and also regulate the debt collection practices of hospitals by codifying guidelines.

“I have sponsored a bill that says hospitals cannot charge people who do not have insurance more than people who do,” Barron said in a statement. “I think that’s wrong. Whether people use insurance, cash or whatever way they choose to settle their bills, that amount should be the same for everyone.”

The bill also, as mentioned above, seeks to regulate hospitals debt collection practices.  One way of achieving this: limiting garnishments and also limiting the number of patients reported to collection agencies.

The bill is currently being discussed in Alabama’s Senate Health Committee.