medical debt

Elizabeth and Nick Woodruff of Binghamton, New York, were sued for nearly $10,000 by the hospital where Nick’s infected leg was amputated. (Heather Ainsworth for KHN and NPR)

Hundreds of US hospitals sue patients or threaten their credit, a KHN investigation finds

BY: - December 21, 2022

Despite growing evidence of the harm caused by medical debt, hundreds of U.S. hospitals maintain policies to aggressively pursue patients for unpaid bills, using tactics such as lawsuits, selling patient accounts to debt buyers, and reporting patients to credit rating agencies, a KHN investigation shows. The collection practices are commonplace among all types of hospitals […]

Four in 10 adults in the United States have medical debt, according to a report from the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Two communities find a cure for medical debt: pandemic stimulus funds

BY: - November 21, 2022

Local governments in Ohio and Illinois are using American Rescue Plan Act money to relieve residents struggling with medical debt by partnering with an organization that buys debt and wipes the slate clean for debtors. It’s a strategy advocates say could be duplicated across the country to help erase a multibillion-dollar problem. On Nov. 9, […]