If the bill reaches the governor’s desk and is signed into law, hospitals would be required to establish a financial assistance program to help patients pay their medical debt. Hospitals would have to have those programs in place by Jan. 1, 2027.
Originally introduced by Democratic Sen. Sarah Anthony, who represents the 21st District, which includes Lansing and nearby communities to the west and southwest, the Hospital Financial Assistance Act has 10 Democratic sponsors and one Republican sponsor in the Senate. The lone Republican is Sen. Ed McBroom, who represents the 38th state Senate District, which covers most of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
The bill also would “require a hospital to submit an annual report to the Director of the…