Hospitals Adopt Automated Screening to Reduce Billions in Uncollected Patient Debt

By Melanie Evans, Tradeoffs · KFF Health News · 2026-10-01

KFF Health News reports that medical facilities are increasingly using presumptive eligibility tools to waive costs for low-income patients before they even receive a bill. While federal law requires nonprofit systems to seek out qualifying individuals, new state-level mandates i

KFF Health News reports that medical facilities are increasingly using presumptive eligibility tools to waive costs for low-income patients before they even receive a bill. While federal law requires nonprofit systems to seek out qualifying individuals, new state-level mandates i