People who live in the South owe doctors and hospitals more than three times as much as those who live in the Northeast. That’s according to a new study that looked at unpaid medical debts in collections for the last decade and found that medical debt started shrinking after the implementation of Obamacare, as more people were covered by insurance.
How One Tennessee Court Is Helping Patients Avoid Complications From Medical Debt
A Tennessee program is trying to keep medical debt cases from ever reaching the courtroom. The goal is to help patients work out a deal with medical providers before the costs start piling up.
‘We Ought To Be Humane’: Cookeville Hospital’s Lawsuits Spur Calls For Change
Even a longtime physician who helped save Cookeville’s hospital had no idea how frequently patients are sued for unpaid bills. After a WPLN News investigation showed that Cookeville Regional Medical Center sued nearly a thousand people just last year, some patient advocates are calling for change.
Nashville’s Charity ER Has Been Suing More Patients Than Anywhere Else In Town
Nashville General is the city-funded, safety-net hospital. For a patient without insurance, this is supposed to be the best place to go. But its emergency room has been taking more patients to court for unpaid medical bills than any other hospital or practice in town.
Tennessee Study Finds Medical Debt Is Surprisingly Common
Listen / Tennesseans shoulder more medical debt than the rest of the country, and the heaviest burden is where there are high rates of uninsured people, according to the latest in a series of reports from the Sycamore Institute.
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