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America's largest hospital chains has been suing thousands of patients
by 8DonCo Mon May 17, 2021 10:26 am
As the coronavirus spiked in Missouri last fall, a wave of cases hit a nursing home in the state's rural heartland. Robin Bull, a part-time nurse, remembered an ambulance "coming and going constantly" on one especially scary morning, rushing residents to Moberly Regional Medical Center, the local hospital.
But even as Bull was helping send patients to Moberly Regional, the hospital was in the process of suing her and at least one other former employee at the nursing home. They were two of more than 600 former patients that the hospital has sued over medical bills during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a CNN analysis of court records.
Moberly Regional sued Bull last May for $9,281, costs that Bull said came from an emergency room visit for food poisoning several years ago. After a judge ruled in the hospital's favor late last year, the company filed a motion to start garnishing part of her roughly $850-per-month salary.
Bull, who also receives disability payments, said she and her husband both contracted Covid-19 last summer, and they've struggled to pay their bills each month.
"I tried to reason with the lawyers and tell them there's no way I can pay for this, but nothing worked," Bull said. "Having this huge bill looming over my head -- it's been stressful, it's been heart-sickening."
Bull's experience is hardly unique. Hospitals owned by Community Health Systems, Inc., one of America's largest hospital chains, have filed at least 19,000 lawsuits against their patients over allegedly unpaid medical bills since March 2020, even as other hospitals around the country have moved to curtail similar lawsuits during the coronavirus pandemic, a CNN investigation found.
The company's 84 hospitals, which are concentrated in the South and stretch from Alaska to Key West, Florida, have taken their patients to court for as little as $201 and as much as $162,000. They say litigation is a last resort.
CNN's review of court filings across 16 states the company operates in found that most of the patients sued by CHS -- like Bull -- didn't hire a lawyer or fight the lawsuits, and judges often ruled in the company's favor by default. In some states, defendants' debts piled on with attorney's fees and interest. Elsewhere, the hospital chain's subsidiaries quickly moved to garnish defendants' paychecks after a judgment.
But even as Bull was helping send patients to Moberly Regional, the hospital was in the process of suing her and at least one other former employee at the nursing home. They were two of more than 600 former patients that the hospital has sued over medical bills during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a CNN analysis of court records.
Moberly Regional sued Bull last May for $9,281, costs that Bull said came from an emergency room visit for food poisoning several years ago. After a judge ruled in the hospital's favor late last year, the company filed a motion to start garnishing part of her roughly $850-per-month salary.
Bull, who also receives disability payments, said she and her husband both contracted Covid-19 last summer, and they've struggled to pay their bills each month.
"I tried to reason with the lawyers and tell them there's no way I can pay for this, but nothing worked," Bull said. "Having this huge bill looming over my head -- it's been stressful, it's been heart-sickening."
Bull's experience is hardly unique. Hospitals owned by Community Health Systems, Inc., one of America's largest hospital chains, have filed at least 19,000 lawsuits against their patients over allegedly unpaid medical bills since March 2020, even as other hospitals around the country have moved to curtail similar lawsuits during the coronavirus pandemic, a CNN investigation found.
The company's 84 hospitals, which are concentrated in the South and stretch from Alaska to Key West, Florida, have taken their patients to court for as little as $201 and as much as $162,000. They say litigation is a last resort.
CNN's review of court filings across 16 states the company operates in found that most of the patients sued by CHS -- like Bull -- didn't hire a lawyer or fight the lawsuits, and judges often ruled in the company's favor by default. In some states, defendants' debts piled on with attorney's fees and interest. Elsewhere, the hospital chain's subsidiaries quickly moved to garnish defendants' paychecks after a judgment.
Last edited by 8DonCo on Mon May 17, 2021 10:27 am; edited 1 time in total
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8DonCo
Re: America's largest hospital chains has been suing thousands of patients
by 8DonCo Mon May 17, 2021 10:26 am
nào giờ con kiến kiện con voi, giờ con voi kiện con kiến 
_________________
8DonCo
Re: America's largest hospital chains has been suing thousands of patients
by dakao2 Mon May 17, 2021 3:36 pm
Con kiến bò vô lỗ tai con voi là xong hàng
dakao2- Location : TX
Re: America's largest hospital chains has been suing thousands of patients
by ga10 Mon May 17, 2021 4:54 pm
8DonCo wrote:nào giờ con kiến kiện con voi, giờ con voi kiện con kiến
Gà nghỉ từ khi dịch COVID bắt đầu có rất nhiều bịnh nhân went to the hospital để chửa trị rồi sau đó 0 chịu trả their co-payments share. Nhà thương bị nhiều uncollectibles quá nên bắt buộc họ phải dùng biệt pháp mạnh để force những người này để trả their bills.
Trước đây nhà thương cũng có uncollectibles nhưng con số có lẽ much less. Thời nay cũng khó biết lý do tại sao people don't pay. Gà nghỉ cũng có 1 số người can afford to pay their bills but chose to default vì nghỉ rằng they can get away with it. Bởi vậy hospitals have to be tougher and go after these patients so others don't continue with this trend!
ga10
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