On Monday, the Biden Administration announced its four-point plan to protect consumers from medical debt. The plan directs HHS to carefully scrutinize providers’ billing practices. The Administration will request data from a sampling of 2,000 providers on collection policies, financial assistance offerings and lawsuits against patients for unpaid medical bills. HHS will use the findings from this data to:

• Guide future grant awards;
• Publish reports and policy recommendations;
• Engage enforcement agencies where appropriate.

It is too early to know precisely how this plan will be implemented but we foresee a closer look by HHS at hospitals’ compliance with the ACA’s financial assistance policies.