A policy in Oregon that requires nonprofit hospitals to provide more financial assistance to patients was linked to a meaningful drop in the number of residents with medical bills that end up in debt collections, according to a new study led by a Tulane University researcher.
The research, published in JAMA Network Open, found that the share of county residents with medical debt in collections fell more in Oregon than in comparable Medicaid-expansion states that did not adopt similar requirements. Oregon’s financial assistance policy was associated with between 872 to 1,180 fewer people per county having medical debt in collections.
The study also found Oregon hospitals provided more charity care — free or discounted care —…