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Read. Follow. Verify.Michigan requires hospitals to offer financial assistance programs and report uncollected debt by 2027
Last action · June 17, 2026: referred to second readingSponsors: Sarah Anthony and 11 others
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What This Bill Would Do
Senate Bill 449 requires all Michigan hospitals to develop and implement patient financial assistance programs by January 1, 2027, featuring sliding-scale discounts up to 100% for qualifying s. The legislation mandates that hospitals conspicuously publish financial assistance details on bills, collection notices, and websites, and submit annual reports to the state department beginning October 1, 2027. Additionally, the measure creates the medical debt relief fund to collect civil fines of up to $10,000 for violations of the act.
Patients facing high medical bills gain federally-tied eligibility standards for financial help, while hospitals face mandatory disclosure rules and civil penalties of up to $10,000 per violation for noncompliance.
- Senate Bill 449 was introduced in the Michigan Senate during the 2025-2026 legislative session by Senator Sarah Anthony. context
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Hospitals
Hospitals must develop financial assistance programs, publish program details on bills and websites, submit annual reports, and face potential civil fines of up to $10,000 for violations.
Patients
Patients gain eligibility for sliding-scale discounts, standardized financial assistance information, and protections related to medical debt collection.
Department of Health and Human Services
The department is tasked with establishing uniform income collection rules, investigating complaints, administering the medical debt relief fund, and publishing annual hospital reports.
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
When do hospitals have to start their financial assistance programs?
Who qualifies for a discount under the hospital financial assistance program?
Where must hospitals display information about their financial assistance programs?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently passed chamber. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Law.
Procedural history
12 actions- Jun 17, 2026Housereferred to second reading
- Jun 17, 2026HouseCommitteereported with recommendation without amendment
- Mar 11, 2026HouseCommitteereferred to Committee on Health Policy
- Mar 11, 2026HouseIntroducedread a first time
- Mar 11, 2026Housereceived on 03/11/2026
- Mar 11, 2026SenateFloorPASSED ROLL CALL # 24 YEAS 33 NAYS 2 EXCUSED 2 NOT VOTING 0
Show 6 earlier actions
- Mar 10, 2026SenatePLACED ON ORDER OF THIRD READING
- Mar 10, 2026SenateREPORTED BY COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE FAVORABLY WITHOUT AMENDMENT(S)
- Nov 13, 2025SenateCommitteeREFERRED TO COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE
- Nov 13, 2025SenateCommitteeREPORTED FAVORABLY WITHOUT AMENDMENT 11/12/2025
- Jun 26, 2025SenateCommitteeREFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HEALTH POLICY
- Jun 26, 2025SenateIntroducedINTRODUCED BY SENATOR SARAH ANTHONY
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
Show 7 more sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Standardization of Hospital Financial Assistance
The bill transitions hospital financial assistance from discretionary policies to a uniformly regulated state mandate with explicit sliding-scale discounts and public reporting.
Connected Entities
Sources
legislature.mi.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance85How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy40Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment5Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz45Current news / social attention level
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