The civic record
Read. Follow. Verify.Connecticut bill establishes voluntary hospital financial assistance program and Medicaid disproportionate share hospital reimbursements
Last action · April 7, 2026: File Number 485Sponsors: Martin Looney and 4 others
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What This Bill Proposed
To expand hospital financial assistance to patients and reimburse such assistance in a voluntary assistance program.
Uninsured and low-income patients meeting specific income or nutrition program thresholds gain access to free or subsidized medical care and capped out-of-pocket payment plans, while participating hospitals become eligible for Medicaid-funded reimbursement through state plan amendments.
- Senate Bill 496 was introduced during the February 2026 session of the Connecticut General Assembly and reported out of the Human Services Committee. context
Who It Would Have Affected
Groups the bill's text would have affected, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
hospitals
Participating hospitals choose whether to opt into the financial assistance program, must follow specific income thresholds and billing caps, and become eligible for Medicaid disproportionate share hospital payments.
uninsured and low-income patients
Patients meeting income and nutrition program thresholds gain eligibility for free or subsidized hospital care, asset exemptions, and payment caps.
Department of Social Services
The department must amend the Medicaid state plan, establish payment and documentation criteria, and handle hospital rehearing requests and appeals.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who qualifies for free hospital care under this bill?
Can hospitals require patients to prove they were denied Medicaid before giving financial assistance?
What happens if a low-income patient cannot provide standard income verification documents?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
This bill did not become law - Died at adjournment · on the Senate floor.
Procedural history
9 actions- Apr 7, 2026Connecticut General AssemblyFile Number 485
- Apr 7, 2026SenateSenate Calendar Number 297
- Apr 7, 2026SenateFavorable Report, Tabled for the Calendar, Senate
- Apr 7, 2026Connecticut General AssemblyReported Out of Legislative Commissioners' Office
- Mar 30, 2026Connecticut General AssemblyReferred to Office of Legislative Research and Office of Fiscal Analysis 04/07/26 12:00 PM
- Mar 20, 2026Connecticut General AssemblyFiled with Legislative Commissioners' Office
Show 3 earlier actions
- Mar 19, 2026Connecticut General AssemblyJoint Favorable
- Mar 13, 2026Connecticut General AssemblyPublic Hearing 03/17
- Mar 12, 2026Connecticut General AssemblyCommitteeReferred to Joint Committee on Human Services
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Restructuring Hospital Uncompensated Care and DSH Payments
The measure links hospital financial assistance compliance directly to Medicaid disproportionate share hospital payment reimbursements.
Connected Entities
Sources
cga.ct.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance20Lowered because this bill did not pass (its text scored 75)
- Controversy45Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz30Current news / social attention level
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