HB 694, sponsored by Del. Lorig Charkoudian, requires Maryland hospitals, the Comptroller, and state agencies to develop a process to identify and reimburse patients that qualified for free hospital care but were wrongfully charged and pursued by debt collectors. This legislation was prompted by an HSCRC report, required under legislation that MCRC led in 2020, which found that low-income patients paid Maryland hospitals $120 million in 2017-2018 on top of the money hospitals received from the state. The legislation will identify and refund patients from 2017-2021 and will return an estimated $200 million to low-income patients. This is the first bill of this kind to pass in the country.
