00                            SENATE BILL NO. 222                                                                         
01 "An Act requiring certain hospitals to make certain disclosures on patient billings."                                   
02 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                                
03    * Section 1.  AS 18.20 is amended by adding a new section to read:                                                 
04            Sec. 18.20.078.  Patient billing disclosures.  A hospital licensed under                                   
05       AS 18.20.010 - 18.20.130 shall comply with the patient billing disclosure                                         
06       requirements of AS 45.45.920 if AS 45.45.920 applies to the hospital.                                             
07    * Sec. 2.  AS 45.45 is amended by adding a new section to read:                                                    
08            Sec. 45.45.920.  Patient billing disclosures.  (a)  A hospital that receives                               
09       government money for the purchase, construction, repair, equipping, or operation of                               
10       the hospital shall disclose on each patient billing                                                               
11                 (1)  the price that the hospital charges other patients who pay                                         
12       negotiated rates for the same medical service item; and                                                           
13                 (2)  the cost subsidy for indigent individuals that is included in the                                  
14       price billed to the patient.                                                                                      
15            (b)  In this section,                                                                                        

01                 (1)  "cost subsidy for indigent individuals" means the cost that is                                     
02       included in the charge for medical service items billed by the hospital to compensate                             
03       the hospital for the uncollected costs that the hospital incurs to provide medical service                        
04       items to indigent individuals;                                                                                    
05                 (2)  "government money" means money from a state or municipal                                           
06       governmental unit or the federal government, and includes money received by the                                   
07       hospital under AS 18.25 or AS 18.26;                                                                              
08                 (3)  "hospital" means a person licensed as a hospital under                                             
09       AS 18.20.010 - 18.20.130;                                                                                         
10                 (4)  "medical service item" includes a hospital room, medication, and                                   
11       medical supplies;                                                                                                 
12                 (5)  "negotiated rate" means a rate negotiated for a category of patients                               
13       by another person, including an insurer, but does not include a rate negotiated by a                              
14       patient or the patient's relatives directly with the hospital for the patient's own medical                       
15       service items;                                                                                                    
16                 (6)  "patient billing" means a billing for a patient that is provided to a                              
17       patient for a medical service item.