Special provisions applicable to prepayment requirements.

(a) A provider may not require an individual entitled to hospital insurance benefits to prepay in part or in whole for inpatient services as a condition of admittance as an inpatient, except where it is clear upon admission that payment under Medicare, Part A cannot be made. (b) A provider may not deny covered inpatient services to an individual entitled to have payment made for those services on the ground of inability or failure to pay a requested amount at or before admission. (c) A provider may not evict, or threaten to evict, an individual for inability to pay a deductible or a coinsurance amount required under Medicare. (d) A provider may not charge an individual for (1) its agreement to admit or readmit the individual on some specified future date for covered inpatient services; or (2) for failure to remain an inpatient for any agreed-upon length of time or for failure to give advance notice of departure from the provider's facilities. [45 FR 22937, Apr. 4, 1980, as amended at 68 FR 46072, Aug. 4, 2003]