Legislation, due for consideration in the state Senate, is the focus of a grassroots advocacy campaign with the Idaho Collectors Association.
3/5/2020 15:30
State legislation in Idaho that would regulate collection of medical debt is advancing to the full state Senate.
The Senate State Affairs Committee unanimously voted to advance the Idaho Patient Act, which passed in the House March 4.
If approved in the Senate, the bill will head to Gov. Brad Little’s desk and would take effect in January 2021.
According to an article in the Post Register newspaper, “the bill would require providers to submit a bill to a patient’s insurance or to the patient within 45 days of providing a service or discharging the patient, and to send the patient a summary of services within 15 days after that. From there, no interest could be charged for another 60 days, and a medical provider could not sue a patient or turn a bill over to collections until 90 days after a patient receives a final statement.”
The bill also sets a limit on attorneys’ fees that could be assessed to patients at $350 or 100% of the principal amount, whichever is less, if there is no contest in the case, according to the article. In contested cases, attorneys’ fees would be limited at $750 or 100% of the principal amount, whichever is less.
ACA International member Rich Fairbanks, the Northwest Regional Manager for Bonneville Billing and Collections Inc. in Boise, Idaho, and legislative chairman for the Idaho Collectors Association, spoke during public testimony at the Senate State Affairs Committee hearing, according to the Post Register report.
The Idaho Collectors Association is working to improve the legislation and has launched a grassroots campaign to educate key lawmakers about the potential impact of these requirements.