Medical bill errors and your rights in Florida
Last reviewed 2026-07-15
If a hospital bill in Florida looks wrong, Florida law can help you check it or push back — Fla. Stat. § 395.3011 directs licensed facilities to furnish, on request, a plain-language itemized statement of charges. Comparing each line and code against the care you received, alongside the federal rules below, helps you spot duplicate charges, bundling issues, and overcharges.
Florida state law
Florida itemized statement of charges
Licensed Florida facilities must, on request, furnish the patient a plain-language, itemized statement of charges detailing each specific service and its charge, enabling the patient to identify billing errors.
What you can do: Request a complete, plain-language itemized statement of all charges from the facility so each line item and CPT/HCPCS code can be verified against the services actually received.
Citation: Fla. Stat. § 395.3011 · effective 2016-07-01
Federal rules that also apply
On top of Florida’s billing law, several federal rules can apply to your bill depending on your situation — whether you paid cash, were treated at a nonprofit hospital, or the balance went to a collector.
Federal law
No Surprises Act good-faith estimate & patient-provider dispute
Uninsured and self-pay patients are entitled to a good-faith estimate of expected charges before scheduled care. If the final bill from a provider exceeds the good-faith estimate by at least $400, the patient may initiate the patient-provider dispute resolution (PPDR) process.
What you can do: Compare the good-faith estimate to the final charges; where the bill exceeds the estimate by $400 or more, dispute the coding and charges and, if applicable, initiate the federal patient-provider dispute resolution process within 120 days of the bill.
Citation: No Surprises Act, PHS Act § 2799B-6; 45 C.F.R. § 149.610–.620 · effective 2022-01-01
Federal law
Section 501(r) financial-assistance & charity-care policy
Tax-exempt nonprofit hospitals must maintain a written financial-assistance policy (FAP), limit amounts charged to FAP-eligible patients to no more than amounts generally billed (AGB) to insured patients, and refrain from extraordinary collection actions before making reasonable efforts to determine FAP eligibility.
What you can do: Apply for financial assistance under the hospital's FAP within the application period (at least 240 days from the first post-discharge billing statement) and require charges be limited to amounts generally billed.
Citation: 26 U.S.C. § 501(r); Treas. Reg. § 1.501(r)-4, -5, -6 · effective 2016-01-01
Federal law
Fair Debt Collection Practices Act — debt validation
When a debt is with a third-party collector, the consumer may dispute the debt and request validation. On a timely written dispute, the collector must cease collection until it mails verification of the debt.
What you can do: Send a written debt-validation request disputing the debt; the collector must cease collection activity until it mails verification of the debt.
Citation: Fair Debt Collection Practices Act § 809, 15 U.S.C. § 1692g · effective 1977-09-20
Where to report a billing problem in Florida
If a hospital or insurer won’t correct a bill that breaks the rules above, you can report it to the government offices that enforce them. Filing a complaint is free, and these offices can spot patterns even when they can’t resolve a single bill. Reporting is not a guarantee of any outcome, and this is general information, not legal advice.
Florida agencies
- Florida Attorney General — Consumer Complaint Form
- Florida Dept. of Financial Services — Insurance Consumer Helpline
Federal help
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