With the ever-rising costs of medical care, more and more medical providers are going to lengths they refused to take before to get their money. Both non-profit and for-profit hospital systems alike are taking unpaid medical bills to the courts. Ballad, one of the biggest hospital systems in Virginia and Tennessee has filed over 6,700 medical debt lawsuits in the past year. Every year, the volume seems to be increasing. since 2009, over 44,000 different lawsuits have been filed by Ballad alone. In almost all of the suits, the hospital won their case. This leads to low income and middle-class families have their wages garnished.
The Details
The Details
Some hospitals are claiming they are only filing suits against people they “know” can pay. However, that doesn’t seem to be the case. A woman who works as a cashier in one of the hospitals who have made headlines for suing patients had her paycheck taken from her. After struggling to pay for her daughter’s back surgery, the hospital took its own employee to court. After an 80 workweek, she takes home 54 cents after wage garnishments and taxes.
Many of these people aren’t trying to run out on their debt. They just have families that need to be taken care of. People who are making less than $12 an hour are already struggling to make ends meet. Adding an unexpected medical bill, and having those expenses automaticly taken out of your paycheck doesn’t make life easier. This issue is largely due to bad insurance plans, and people not understanding the extent of their coverage. But insurance literacy is not the only thing to blame. Insurance covered by employers often didn’t have any deductibles at all.
That’s about 50% of employer covered plans. Now, 82% of insurance plans covered by employers have huge deductibles. Insurers are taking advantage of their customers, and as a result, are putting them in financial distress. They are allowed to have these outrageous deductibles and this ends up putting families in difficult situations. Put food on the table, or get a much needed medical procedure.
Thankfully, some state legislators are getting concerned over the hospitals suing those who cannot pay. New legislation is being made to limit the statute of limitations for medical debt. However, it is unclear if it will pass or not.
Contact The Law Giant for Help
Contact The Law Giant for Help
Sadly, bad faith insurance is not an uncommon practice. If you think your insurance company is acting in bad faith, it is in your best interest to reach out to The Law Giant, Personal Injury & Accident Lawyers right away. We can help prove your claim and ensure you obtain the fair compensation deserve.
To schedule a free consultation of your case, contact us today at (866) 523-4167.
