A bill moving through the California legislature aims to reduce medical debt by requiring hospitals to determine whether patients qualify for financial assistance before they leave the hospital.
Assembly Bill 1312, introduced earlier this year, would standardize and streamline the process for screening low-income patients—particularly those without insurance or enrolled in Medi-Cal—for hospital financial aid programs.
Health advocates say too many eligible patients fall through the cracks and end up with medical debt.
“Across 2022 and 2023, we estimate that San Diego adults collectively owed more than $654 million in medical debt,” said Selene Betancourt, a policy analyst with the California…
