(a) Uninsured patients or patients with high medical costs who are at or below 400 percent of the federal poverty level shall be eligible to apply to an emergency physician for a discount payment pursuant to a discount payment policy. Notwithstanding any other provision of this article, an emergency physician may choose to grant eligibility for a discount payment policy to patients with incomes over 400 percent of the federal poverty level.
(b) An emergency physician shall limit expected payment for services provided to a patient at or below 400 percent of the federal poverty level and who is eligible under the emergency physician’s discount payment policy to an amount that is no greater than 50 percent of the median of billed charges based on a nationally recognized database of physician and surgeon charges until the nonprofit FAIR Health, Inc. creates a database that makes available the rate of payment received by physician and surgeons from commercial insurers for the same services in the same or similar geographic region. When FAIR Health, Inc. makes available the rate of payment received by physicians and surgeons from commercial insurers for the same services in the same or similar geographic region, the amount of expected payment under this section shall be no greater than the median or average of rates paid by commercial insurers for the same or similar services in the same or similar geographic region.
(c) (1) If an emergency physician seeks reimbursement from the Maddy Fund pursuant to Section 1797.98c, then the emergency physician shall, at that time, cease any further billing or collection activity for that patient.
(2) If the emergency physician does not receive reimbursement from the Maddy Fund after attempting to obtain reimbursement from the Maddy Fund, then the provisions of this article shall apply.
(3) If the emergency physician does not attempt to seek reimbursement from the Maddy Fund, the provisions of this article shall apply.
(d) A patient, or patient’s legal representative, who requests a discounted payment or other assistance in meeting their financial obligation to the emergency physician shall make every reasonable effort to provide the emergency physician with documentation of income and health benefits coverage, if the emergency physician requests the documentation. If the patient, or the patient’s legal representative, requests a discounted payment and fails to provide information that is reasonable and necessary for the emergency physician to make a determination, the emergency physician may consider that failure in making its determination.
(1) For purposes of determining eligibility for discounted payment, the emergency physician may rely on the determination made by the hospital at which emergency care was provided. If the emergency physician chooses to make a separate determination of eligibility for discounted payment, documentation of income shall be limited to recent pay stubs or income tax returns. The emergency physician, at their discretion, may accept self-attestation by a patient, or a patient’s legal representative, but shall not request documentation of income other than that authorized in this paragraph.
(2) Information obtained pursuant to paragraph (1) shall not be used for collections activities. This paragraph does not prohibit the use of information obtained by the emergency physician, collection agency, or assignee independent of the eligibility process for discounted payment.
(3) Eligibility for discounted payments shall be determined at any time the emergency physician is in receipt of information specified in paragraph (1). An emergency physician shall not impose time limits for applying for discount payments, nor deny eligibility based on the timing of a patient’s application.
(e) An emergency physician may waive or reduce Medi-Cal and Medicare cost-sharing amounts as part of their discount payment program.
(Amended by Stats. 2024, Ch. 511, Sec. 10. (AB 2297) Effective January 1, 2025.)