nonprofit hospitals

Health & Safety

Montana health officials call for more oversight of nonprofit hospitals

5:01am September 27, 2022

by Katheryn Houghton

Montana is one of the latest states to suggest many nonprofit hospitals aren't giving back enough in charitable contributions to the community to justify their tax-exempt status.

Los Angeles County + USC Medical Center is one of the largest safety-net hospitals in the United States.

Hospitals Serving The Poor Struggled During COVID. Wealthy Hospitals Made Millions

4:00pm May 20, 2021

The financial gap between wealthy hospitals and safety-net hospitals, which take everyone who walks through their doors, has widened during the pandemic, an NPR and PBS Frontline investigation found.

Carrie Barrett, a former defendant in a suit brought by Methodist Hospital, testifies during service at Apostolic Fellowship Church in Memphis, Tenn., on Sept. 15. Her debt to the hospital was cleared following an MLK50 and ProPublica investigation into t

Health & Safety

Nonprofit Hospital That Sued Poor Patients Just Freed Thousands From Debt

7:48pm September 25, 2019

by Wendi C. Thomas

A Memphis hospital that filed more than 8,300 lawsuits for unpaid medical bills from 2014 through 2018 is forgiving many patients' debts, after an investigation by journalists.

Daisha Smith says she only realized she had been sued over her hospital bill when she saw her paycheck was being garnished. "I literally have no food in my house because they're garnishing my check," she says.

Health & Safety

Hospitals Earn Little From Suing For Unpaid Bills. For Patients, It Can Be 'Ruinous'

10:32pm June 25, 2019

by Selena Simmons-Duffin

When patients can't afford to pay their medical bills, many hospitals offer a payment plan — or free or discounted care. But some try to collect by suing patients and garnishing their wages.

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