skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Washington Gets Tough on Debt Collection by Hospitals

play audio
Play

Tuesday, July 14, 2015   

OLYMPIA, Wash. – Washington is changing some of the rules about how hospitals collect money from patients, with a new state law that brings them into line with other types of debt collectors.

The move is, in part, the result of investigations and a 2014 court settlement over MultiCare Health Systems' aggressive debt collection practices. MultiCare has become known for filing medical liens against patients, and hospitals will now have to disclose they use that tactic.

Attorney Darrell Cochran, who championed the change in Olympia, says much of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act hasn't applied to hospitals until now.

"That helps us not only spell out clear guidelines about what they can and cannot do, but gives us a hammer, legally, for misbehavior," he says. "You should be allowed to make the decision up front about whether you want to be subjected to a lien."

The new law also says within 30 days of settling an account or paying a bill in full, the company that filed the medical lien must release it, or risk paying additional damages and legal fees. The law goes into effect on July 24.

Cochran says the MultiCare liens first drew attention because the hospital and its collection agency tried to recover 100 percent of the cost of treatment, rather than a discounted amount typically negotiated between health-care providers and insurance companies.

He says most hospitals don't file liens against patients – although MultiCare revealed in court they've been lucrative. He notes nothing prevents other hospitals from using them.

"That's going to be the continuing mantra from the hospital systems," he adds. "'The more we can collect on these bills, the greater good that we can do for you.' They're not saying, 'Hey, we're going to get extraordinary bonuses and compensation for all of our hospital administrators as part of it.'"

Last year, MultiCare Health Systems agreed to a class-action settlement of $7.5 million, paid to former patients who had medical liens filed against them. The company says it offers payment plans, and writes off medical bills of people considered very low-income.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021