Hospital Uninsured Patient Discount Act

The Hospital Uninsured Patient Discount Act (Public Act 95-0965) offers discounts and caps hospital bills for uninsured patients in Illinois. Effective 4/1/09, hospital charges to eligible uninsured cannot exceed the costs of the services plus 35 percent. This law also puts an annual cap on the amount of money hospitals can collect for services from eligible uninsured patients to no more than 25 percent of a patient's family income.

Patient Eligibility

• Uninsured - You must have no health insurance coverage under any health benefit plan.
• Residency - You must live in Illinois. Financial Status - You must have a family income and assets of not more than 600 percent of the federal poverty level ($132,300 for a family of four) at non-rural hospitals, and 300 percent of the federal poverty level ($66,150) for a family of four at rural or critical access hospitals. Hospitals may make availability of a discount dependent upon first applying for coverage under public programs, such as Medicare or Medicaid, if the patient is likely to be eligible.
• Verification - Hospitals may require an uninsured patient who is requesting a discount to provide documentation that verifies income and Illinois residency. Any hospital obligation to an uninsured patient who fails to provide the requested documentation within 30 days of request will cease.
• Application - You must apply for a discount within 60 days of the date of hospital discharge or service.

Eligible Services

The uninsured discount applies to medically necessary hospital services that exceed $300. It does not include physician services.

Notification

Each hospital bill, invoice or other summary of charges to an uninsured patient must include a statement of the availability of the uninsured discount and how to apply for consideration.

Enforcement

The Attorney General of Illinois is responsible for administering and ensuring compliance with this law. For further information or if you need help with a dispute over a bill you may contact the Health Care Bureau hotline of the Attorney General's Office at 877-305-5145 (or TTY 800-964-3013) or online at: http://www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/consumers/healthcare.html
For Hospital Full Text of the Uninsured Patient Discount Act: http://ilga.gov/legislation/publicacts/fulltext.asp?Name=095-0965&GA=095