#HospitalFail- Virginia
NPR: When Hospitals Sue For Unpaid Bills, It Can Be 'Ruinous' For Patients
Selena Simmons-Duffin, June 25, 2019
"Not every hospital sues over unpaid bills, but a few sue a lot. In Virginia, 36% of hospitals sued patients and garnished their wages in 2017, according to a study published Tuesday in the American Medical Association's journal, JAMA. Five hospitals accounted for over half of all lawsuits — and all but one of those were nonprofits. Mary Washington sued the most patients, according to the researchers."
Read More...Washington Post: UVA Health System revamps aggressive debt collection practices after report
Jay Hancock, September 13, 2019
"The University of Virginia Health System, which sues thousands of patients each year, seizing wages and home equity to collect on overdue bills, said Friday it would increase financial assistance, give bigger discounts to the uninsured and 'reduce our reliance on the legal system.'"
Read More...New York Times: With Medical Bills Skyrocketing, More Hospitals Are Suing for Payment
Sarah Kliff, November 8, 2019
"Ballad, which operates the only hospital in Wise County and 20 others in Virginia and Tennessee, filed more than 6,700 medical debt lawsuits against patients last year. Ballad’s hospitals have brought at least 44,000 lawsuits since 2009, typically increasing the volume each year."
Read More...KHN: ‘UVA Has Ruined Us’: Health System Sues Thousands Of Patients, Seizing Paychecks And Claiming Homes
Jay Hancock , September 10, 2019
"Waldron, 38, an insurance agent and former nurse, appreciates the treatment she received for an intestinal malformation that almost killed her. But, she said, 'UVA has ruined us.'"
Read More...WSJ: When Patients Can’t Pay, Many Hospitals Are Suing
Stephanie Armour, June 25, 2019
"When the uninsured gardener couldn’t pay his bill of about $15,000, the nonprofit institution took him to court. Mary Washington Hospital and others in Virginia were suing so many other patients..."
Read More...KHN: Hospital Group Mum As Members Pursue Patients With Lawsuits And Debt Collectors
Jay Hancock, December 28, 2019
"Kaiser Health News found that the University of Virginia Health System sued patients 36,000 times over six years, taking tax refunds, wages and property and billing the uninsured at rates far higher than the cost of care. Richmond-based VCU Health’s physicians group sued patients 56,000 times over seven years, KHN also found."
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