Download This Bill in Microsoft Word format
H. 4069
STATUS INFORMATION
General Bill
Sponsors: Reps. Sessions, Magnuson and Wickensimer
Document Path: LC-0189VR25.docx
Introduced in the House on February 20, 2025
Introduced in the Senate on March 26, 2025
Last Amended on June 25, 2026
Currently residing in the Senate
Summary: Patient-Friendly Billing
HISTORY OF LEGISLATIVE ACTIONS
| Date | Body | Action Description with journal page number |
|---|---|---|
| 2/20/2025 | House | Introduced and read first time (House Journal-page 6) |
| 2/20/2025 | House | Referred to Committee on Medical, Military, Public and Municipal Affairs (House Journal-page 6) |
| 3/4/2025 | House | Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Magnuson |
| 3/20/2025 | House | Committee report: Favorable with amendment Medical, Military, Public and Municipal Affairs (House Journal-page 10) |
| 3/25/2025 | House | Member(s) request name added as sponsor: Wickensimer |
| 3/25/2025 | House | Amended (House Journal-page 61) |
| 3/25/2025 | House | Read second time (House Journal-page 61) |
| 3/25/2025 | House | Roll call Yeas-116 Nays-0 (House Journal-page 63) |
| 3/26/2025 | House | Read third time and sent to Senate (House Journal-page 16) |
| 3/26/2025 | Senate | Introduced and read first time (Senate Journal-page 9) |
| 3/26/2025 | Senate | Referred to Committee on Medical Affairs (Senate Journal-page 9) |
| 4/30/2026 | Senate | Committee report: Favorable with amendment Medical Affairs (Senate Journal-page 10) |
| 5/7/2026 | Senate | Committee Amendment Adopted (Senate Journal-page 56) |
| 5/7/2026 | Senate | Amended (Senate Journal-page 56) |
| 5/7/2026 | Senate | Read second time (Senate Journal-page 56) |
| 5/7/2026 | Senate | Roll call Ayes-46 Nays-0 (Senate Journal-page 56) |
| 5/8/2026 | Scrivener's error corrected | |
| 5/12/2026 | Senate | Read third time and returned to House with amendments (Senate Journal-page 25) |
| 5/14/2026 | House | Senate amendment amended |
| 5/14/2026 | House | Returned to Senate with amendments (House Journal-page 19) |
| 5/14/2026 | House | Roll call Yeas-113 Nays-0 (House Journal-page 21) |
| 5/14/2026 | Senate | Non-concurrence in House amendment (Senate Journal-page 42) |
| 5/14/2026 | House | House insists upon amendment and conference committee appointed Reps. Davis, Sessions, Waters (House Journal-page 83) |
| 5/14/2026 | Senate | Conference committee appointed Cash, Garrett, Ott (Senate Journal-page 43) |
| 6/25/2026 | House | Conference report received and adopted |
| 6/25/2026 | House | Roll call Yeas-103 Nays-0 |
| 6/25/2026 | Senate | Conference report received and adopted (Senate Journal-page 130) |
| 6/25/2026 | Senate | Roll call Ayes-38 Nays-0 (Senate Journal-page 130) |
| 6/25/2026 | Senate | Ordered enrolled for ratification (Senate Journal-page 134) |
| 6/29/2026 | Ratified R 270 |
View the latest legislative information at the website
VERSIONS OF THIS BILL
2/20/2025
3/20/2025
3/25/2025
4/30/2026
5/7/2026
5/8/2026
5/14/2026
6/25/2026
(R270, H4069)
AN ACT TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTION 44-7-327 SO AS TO ESTABLISH CERTAIN REQUIREMENTS PERTAINING TO PATIENT BILLING FOR HEALTH SERVICES AND SUPPLIES.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:
Patient billing
SECTION 1. Article 3, Chapter 7, Title 44 of the S.C. Code is amended by adding:
Section 44-7-327. (A) For purposes of this section:
(1) "Debt collection" means an action, conduct, or practice in collecting, or in soliciting for collection, consumer debts that are due or alleged to be due a creditor.
(2) "Healthcare facility" means:
(a) acute care hospitals;
(b) psychiatric hospitals;
(c) alcohol and other substance-use disorder hospitals;
(d) ambulatory surgical facilities;
(e) hospice facilities;
(f) radiation therapy facilities;
(g) rehabilitation facilities;
(h) residential treatment facilities for child and adolescents;
(i) intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities; or
(j) narcotic treatment programs.
(3) "Healthcare service" means a service a healthcare facility provides to an individual to diagnose, prevent, treat, alleviate, cure, or heal a human health condition, illness, injury, or disease.
(4) "Itemized bill" means a document that a healthcare facility provides to a patient outlining services provided and associated charges at the general department or service level.
(B)(1) Beginning January 1, 2027, a healthcare facility that requests payment from a patient after providing a healthcare service or related supply to the patient shall:
(a) provide to the patient an electronic version of the itemized bill of the alleged remittance sought for services and supplies provided to the patient during the patient's visit to the healthcare facility; and
(b) provide to the patient a copy of the written itemized bill upon request of the alleged remittance sought for services and supplies provided to the patient during the patient's visit to the healthcare facility.
(2)(a) The healthcare facility must notify the patient in clear and conspicuous language, electronically or in writing, of the availability of obtaining an itemized copy electronically or in writing pursuant to subsection (B)(1) and must offer the patient the ability to indicate the preferred form of the itemized bill.
(b) A patient may waive the right to receive an itemized bill electronically or in writing. An initial waiver of the right to an itemized bill does not prevent the patient from later receiving an itemized bill upon request. The healthcare facility must notify the patient of their right to later request an itemized bill even if the patient initially waived their right to receive an itemized bill.
(3) The itemized bill must include:
(a) a plain language description, in accordance with the most current billing reading-level requirements and guidance provided by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, for healthcare services and supplies the healthcare facility provided to the patient;
(b) the amount the healthcare facility alleges is due from the patient; and
(c) if the healthcare facility sought or is seeking reimbursement from a third party, the patient's responsibility amount due to the healthcare facility pursuant to the electronic remittance advice the provider received from the third party under applicable law.
(4)(a) A healthcare facility is legally authorized to issue itemized bills electronically, including through a patient portal on the healthcare facility's website.
(b) In accordance with items (1) and (2), a patient may obtain from the healthcare facility an itemized bill upon request any time after the itemized bill is initially issued.
(C) The appropriate licensing authority shall take disciplinary action against the healthcare facility for the violation as if the healthcare facility violated an applicable licensing law.
Time effective
SECTION 2. This act takes effect upon approval by the Governor.
Ratified the 29th day of June, 2026.
Approved the _____________ day of _________________________________________2026.
This web page was last updated on June 29, 2026 at 11:48 AM