Healthcare

Most consumers don’t challenge medical bills they get from doctors and hospitals, according to the results of a recent poll. But of those who do challenge the bills, the majority of them are successful in getting the disputed charges removed or reduced. Nearly two-thirds of consumers have never challenged the …

The American Hospital Association is fighting back after a report was released last week that said about 15% of all non-elderly adults are carrying some amount of unpaid medical debt, saying that the report failed to mention the underlying root-causes of the problem while also failing “to appreciate the looming …

The Illinois legislature is considering a bill that would require hospitals screen individuals without health insurance before initiating any collection activity while also prohibiting the sale of medical debt. To help advance the legislation and bring attention to the medical debt problem in Illinois, the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and …

More than 60% of individuals with unpaid medical bills have been contacted by a collection agency to recover those debts, according to a report released yesterday by the Urban Institute. The report also disclosed than about 15% of all non-elderly adults living in the United States are carrying some amount …

With the Biden Administration’s fight to eliminate student loan debt before the Supreme Court, consumer advocacy groups and patients’ rights advocates are now calling on the administration to do something about the growing medical debt problem in America. The groups have sent separate letters to the Internal Revenue Service and …

Most hospitals in Oregon are not complying with a recently enacted law requiring them to screen patients to determine if they are eligible for charity care or financial assistance before referring debts to third-party collection agencies, according to a report from a national non-profit organization. The report also highlights just …

A bill has been introduced in the Utah state legislature that would earmark $100,000 of government funds to be used to purchase unpaid medical debt of state residents and have it forgiven, similar to other programs that have been announced in cities and states across the country. A copy of …

More than one-third of individuals living in California are carrying some amount of medical debt, and one-fifth of those who do owe at least $5,000, according to a report released last week by the California Health Care Foundation. Demographically, Californians with lower incomes were more likely than those with higher …

Following the lead set by TV stations, churches, and local governments, the governor of Connecticut has announced his intention to spend $20 million to purchase and then forgive $2 billion of unpaid medical debts for residents of The Nutmeg State. The announcement represents one of the largest plans to cancel …

A bill is being circulated in the Colorado legislature — which is also backed by the state’s Attorney General — that would cap the interest rate on medical debt, establish requirements on medical debt payment plans, and make violations of surprise or balance billing laws a deceptive trade practice, among …