S 3090Rights & Warranties

Businesses and Professions - Patient Payment Information

Healthcare providers cannot require patients to keep credit card or bank information on file to receive medical care.

Introduced38 Yea0 Nay0 Not voting

Population
Affected

Introduced Mar 13, 2026Committee Senate Health & Human Services

Plain-English Summary

This legislation prevents healthcare providers, such as doctors and medical offices, from requiring patients to keep a credit card, debit card, or bank account number on file as a condition for receiving medical care. While providers cannot mandate this information be stored before an appointment, patients are still permitted to provide it voluntarily if they choose to do so. The bill clarifies that this rule does not remove a patient's obligation to pay for services rendered. A violation of this rule is legally classified as a deceptive trade practice.

For younger readers

Sometimes when you go to the doctor, the office might ask your parents to save their credit card number in the computer before the doctor will see you. This new law says the doctor is not allowed to force your parents to do that. Your parents can still choose to save their card number if they want to, but the doctor cannot refuse to help you just because they didn't. Your parents still have to pay for the visit, but they don't have to keep their payment information saved at the doctor's office.

Who & Where It Applies

Impacted groups

Healthcare ProvidersPatientsUnbanked IndividualsMedical Office ManagersConsumer Protection Agencies

Impacted communities

All

Constitutional & Fiscal Check

None Likely

Estimated cost

None

Estimated revenue

None

Bill Analysis

Both viewpoints

For Progressives

Ensures equitable access to healthcare services for low-income individuals who may be unbanked or lack credit cards, preventing discrimination based on financial status.
Protects patients from potential financial exploitation or surprise billing by preventing providers from automatically charging cards without specific transaction approval.
Strengthens consumer rights within the healthcare system by classifying the coerced collection of financial data as an unfair trade practice.
Does not address the underlying issue of high healthcare costs and insurance deductibles that drive providers to seek guaranteed payment methods.
May lead providers to demand payment in full at the time of service via cash or check, which could still create a barrier to care for cash-strapped patients.
Relies on reactive enforcement through consumer complaints rather than establishing a proactive regulatory body to monitor healthcare billing practices.

For Conservatives

Enhances individual privacy and data security by allowing citizens to refuse to store sensitive financial information in potentially vulnerable medical office databases.
Empowers the consumer to dictate the terms of their financial transactions rather than being subject to the mandates of service providers.
Prevents businesses from exercising undue leverage over individuals who are in immediate need of essential services.
Interferes with the free market by restricting the ability of private business owners to set their own terms of service and payment security policies.
May increase administrative burdens and bad debt for healthcare businesses, potentially leading to higher costs for all patients to cover those losses.
Expands government regulation of private industry by broadening the definition of "deceptive trade practices" to include standard billing policies.

Votes

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Full Bill Text

Changes to existing Rhode Island law · 12 additions

SECTION 1. Title 5 of the General Laws entitled "BUSINESSES AND PROFESSIONS" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following chapter: 5-37.9-1. Patient payment information -- Requiring electronic payment information prohibited.

(a) No healthcare provider, as defined in § 5-37.3-12, shall require a patient to provide bank account information, a credit card number, a debit card number or any other form of electronic payment to be kept on file with the healthcare provider as a prerequisite to seeing the patient for an office visit or providing any healthcare service to the patient.

(b) A violation of subsection (a) of this section shall be considered an unfair trade practice pursuant to chapter 13.1 of title 6 ("deceptive trade practices").

(1) Affect a patient's obligation to pay for healthcare services; or

(2) Prohibit a healthcare provider from requesting, collecting or storing bank, credit or debit card or other payment-related information if the patient agrees to provide such information.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect upon passage.