Oregon passes landmark legislation expanding charity care to more patients

In Oregon’s 2019 State Legislative Session, lawmakers passed House Bill 3076. The bill takes huge steps forward in ensuring that nonprofit hospitals provide a safety net to the communities they serve, and ultimately justify their tax status. The policy establishes minimum requirements for providing assistance to patients who can’t afford care and puts stronger protections in place to prevent predatory debt collection. The legislation will also lead to more investments in community benefits and critical programs that address disparities in health and health care.  

“When you walk into a nonprofit health care facility and you’re standing there with your child who has a fever … What they should be asking you is: ‘Can you pay for this?’ And when you say: ‘I don’t know, I just need help,’ they need to take the responsibility to get you that help. And that’s what this bill does.” —Felisa Hagins, Political Director for SEIU Local 49

Coverage on Oregon’s landmark legislation:

• Lund Report: Oregon To Lead Nation In Setting Minimum Amount For Hospital Charity Care

• OPB: Legislators Try To Make Hospitals Justify Their Nonprofit Status

• NPR: Mired In Medical Debt? Federal Rule Changes Proposed For Bill Collectors

• Becker Hospital Review: Oregon proposes minimum for hospitals' community benefit spending