Pennsylvania Establishes Medical Debt Relief Program and Uniform Hospital Financial Assistance Standards

Pennsylvania House Bill 79 establishes a statewide Medical Debt Relief Program within the Department of Health to purchase and discharge medical debt for eligible residents using state-appropriated funds. The legislation also standardizes hospital-based financial assistance across the Commonwealth by requiring uniform applications, one-page summary templates, plain-language translations, and consistent income-eligibility rules.

Residents with household incomes at or below 400% of the federal poverty level, or whose medical debt equals 5% or more of household income, become eligible for debt relief and standardized financial assistance protections, while hospitals must adopt uniform intake forms, translate documents into primary languages, and pause bill liability upon application submission.