Does the Affordable Care Act make it illegal for hospitals to demand entire deductibles up front?

[enlightenment]

9. Here are a few:

I chose older articles because the question is not about the ACA but about whether or not hospitals demand payment up front:

http://www.northjersey.com/news/137872133_More_hospitals_demand_payment_on_the_spot.html?page=all

http://health.usnews.com/health-news/best-hospitals/articles/2010/07/23/patients-beware-hospitals-are-increasingly-requiring-cash-up-front
This article discusses both uninsured and insured patients

http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20121013/MAGAZINE/310139953


There is, apparently, a report from mid-October that suggests that the ACA is causing this and if you Google "hospital charging deductible up-front" you'll see page after page where it has been repeated. I deliberately ignored it because it looks like fear-mongering, but I suspect that it plays off these earlier reports and the fact that yes, hospitals admit that they want the bills paid up-front. I think anyone who has dealt with hospital care in the last five years or so can attest to the increasingly strong-arm tactics that some use; it's something that I lay at the feet of the increased privatization of hospitals - profits come before care.