New Jersey Bill to Criminalize Waiver of Co-Payments and Deductibles Dies in Committee

A bill introduced by New Jersey State Senator Nia Gill to criminalize the waiver of co-payments and deductibles by healthcare providers in the state failed to garner enough votes from the Senate Commerce Committee needed to move forward, according to Mark Manigan, JD, an attorney with the Health Law Practice Group at Brach Eichler in Roseland, N.J., who attending the committee hearing.

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The bill, S-1743, would have prohibited out-of-network facilities in the state from waiving these costs for patients or face criminal penalties except for in cases of “financial hardship.”

“Sen. Gill and co-sponsor Senator Joseph Vitale repeatedly claimed that their intent was to end an alleged practice whereby a provider advertises the waiver of co-payments and then after providing treatment adds the waived amounts to the billed charge,” said Mr. Manigan in an email. “The bill, however, is much broader than that as it would criminalize the waiver of any co-payment or deductible.”

Contact Lindsey Dunn at lindsey@beckersasc.com.

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