This file photo shows the west side of the tower at St. Charles Bend in February 2019.

The Oregon Legislature passed a law in 2019 requiring nonprofit hospitals and hospital systems to do more to provide charity care.

It set a floor for minimum spending. It enlarged the requirements for hospital financial assistance. Patients got more protections from medical debt.

The Oregon Health Authority reports hospitals do comply with the program’s reporting requirements. But patients still have trouble getting access to financial assistance and are wrongly hounded by billing practices.

For instance, numerous examples have been found in Oregon of “individuals below the 200% FPL (federal poverty level) that had medical debt judgements and wage garnishments put in place. The examples found appear to be (in) violation of not only the provisions of HB 3076, but also federal code….,” the Oregon Health Authority said.

Hospitals say patients often don’t respond to phone calls or letters about billing, which makes it challenging for them to properly comply with laws.

House Bill 3320 aims to fix some of the problems. It attempts to make it easier for patients to find information.

That means new requirements for hospitals, which may help bring more clarity for hospitals and patients. And the OHA would be allowed to issue civil penalties on hospitals for violations.

In testimony, the Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems was opposed to the legislation and urged legislators to also look at how commercial insurance drives up costs of healthcare. It is seeking an amendment to address its concerns.

We’d have to see what is in the amendment, but we believe some version of HB 3320 is necessary. The Lund Report has a more expansive article about this bill, tinyurl.com/ORcharitycare.