Sections 1 through 10 [57-32-1 to 57-32-10 NMSA 1978] of this act may be cited as the “Patients’ Debt Collection Protection Act”. History: Laws 2021, ch. 31, § 1. ANNOTATIONS Effective dates. — Laws 2021, ch. 31, § 14 made Laws 2021, ch. 31, § 1 effective July 1, 2021.
A. The attorney general shall enforce the provisions of the Patients’ Debt Collection Protection Act and shall adopt rules in accordance with that act to provide for the protection of patients and their families and to assist market participants in interpreting that act. B. The attorney general shall establish a complaint process whereby an aggrieved […]
As used in the Patients’ Debt Collection Protection Act: A. “collection action” means any of the following: (1) selling a person’s medical debt to another party, including a medical debt collector, but not including medical debt as part of the assets and liabilities when selling a health care facility or third-party health care provider; or […]
A. In addition to any other actions required by applicable state or federal law or local government ordinance, health care facilities shall take the following steps before seeking payment for emergency or medically necessary care: (1) offer to and, if requested, verify whether a patient has any health insurance; (2) if the patient is uninsured, […]
A. For patients who are determined to be indigent patients, charges for health care services and medical debt shall not be pursued through collection actions. All collection actions through which charges for health care services and medical debt are pursued shall be terminated upon the determination that a patient is an indigent patient. Health care […]
The department shall provide health care facilities and third-party health care providers with guidance on accessing available sources of funding for care that maximizes the use of funds in the following order of priority: A. federal funds; B. state funds; and C. other available funds. History: Laws 2021, ch. 31, § 5. ANNOTATIONS Effective dates. […]
A. All bills sent from a health care facility, third-party health care provider or medical creditor to a patient shall include a complete and plain-language description of the date, amount and nature of all charges; if the patient is verified as having health insurance; if the health care facility screened the patient for programs that […]
A. Within thirty business days of receipt of a payment on a medical debt, the health care facility, third-party health care provider, medical creditor, medical debt collector or their agents receiving the payment shall send a receipt to the person who made the payment. The receipt may take the form of a billing statement. All […]
A. Health care facilities and third-party health care providers shall annually report to the department how the following funds are used: (1) indigent care funds and safety net care pool funds pursuant to the Indigent Hospital and County Health Care Act [Chapter 27, Article 5 NMSA 1978]; and (2) funds raised to pay the cost […]
A. A consumer shall not be required to exhaust any administrative remedies provided by the provisions of the Patients’ Debt Collection Protection Act or other applicable law before seeking legal or equitable relief. B. A financial assistance policy or agreement between a patient and a health care facility, third-party health care provider, medical creditor or […]
