Amid economic crisis and pandemic, chain of US hospitals sued 19,000 patients

One of the largest hospital chains in the United States, Community Health Systems (CHS), has filed some 19,000 lawsuits against patients for unpaid bills during the pandemicCNN television network reported.

The company has 84 hospitals, the majority concentrated in the south of the country, although they stretch from Alaska to Florida. Now he has sued his patients for bills ranging from $ 201 to $ 162,000.

According to the channel, who had access to court documents on these cases In the 16 states where the company operates, most patients have not hired a lawyer or even litigated, with whom judges have ruled in favor of the company almost “by default.”

In some states, the defendants have added attorneys’ fees to the debt owed to the hospital chain, and in some cases the subsidiaries of this conglomerate quickly seized the payroll of patients, as soon as there was a decision. in their favor.

Patient advocates have warned that such tactics can leave low-income people in financial ruin, especially since the lawsuits were brought amid the economic deterioration caused by the pandemic.

“I can’t think of anything worse than a hospital system that could sue patients for their medical bills amid a pandemic and recession,” National Patient Advocacy Foundation spokesperson told CNN. , Caitlin Donovan.

According to the channel, CHS had a total net profit of $ 511 million in 2020, compared to the previous four years, all settled at a loss. These financial results led the executives of that company to be awarded bonuses of several million dollars, said CNN, which had access to data from the US Securities Market Commission (SEC).

One of the reasons for these good results is that it benefited from the bailout package approved in March 2020 by Congress and received $ 705 million in aid from the federal government and other local and state aid programs. .

In a statement released by CNN, the CHS argued that its hospitals prosecute only a “small fraction” of the patients they treat each year and that they make an effort to provide assistance to those who do not. the means to pay their debts to their centers.

(with EFE information)

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