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5/28/2026
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Senate OKs Sen. Dimitri bill to equitably share the burden of unpaid medical debt
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STATE HOUSE — The Senate today voted to approve legislation from Sen. Andrew R. Dimitri to equitably share the burden of unpaid medical debt between medical providers and insurers.
“With patients struggling to afford healthcare, unpaid out-of-pocket costs are piling up on the books of Rhode Island hospitals and clinics to the tune of tens of millions annually,” said Senator Dimitri (D-Dist. 25, Johnston). “These debts place considerable strain on our medical system that is already facing severe financial headwinds, leading to potential staffing cuts and reduced services to patients. This bill would establish clear and consistent rules to ensure that insurers share responsibility for these debts, following guidelines already in place for Medicare and Medicaid at the federal level.”
The Equitable Funding for Healthcare Debt Act (2026-S 3088) would allow healthcare providers to get reimbursed by insurers for 65% of unpaid copays, coinsurances and deductibles that are $250 or higher after they have made reasonable collection efforts to recover them from patients.
The bill is modeled after the guidance already used by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services at the federal level, which reimburses medical providers for 65% of these “bad debts” after reasonable collection efforts have failed and the appropriate documentation is shown.
The bill now goes to the House, where Rep. Thomas E. Noret (D-Dist. 25, Coventry, West Warwick) has introduced similar legislation (2026-H 8267).
For more information, contact:
Tristan Grau, Publicist
State House Room B20
Providence, RI 02903
401.222.4935
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