Woman Sued for Unpaid Hospital Bills with Added Interest.

Bethany Birch, an uninsured patient who underwent emergency gallbladder removal surgery in 2016, was sued by Ballad Health for $11,590.10 in unpaid hospital bills in 2018. Birch, who had lost her housing and spent months without a permanent mailing address, said she never received a bill. She signed an agreement to pay the full amount plus court costs in monthly installments of $100 beginning in January 2019, but the court tacked on a 7% interest rate. Birch's case highlights the gaps in the Affordable Care Act's standards for notifying patients of outstanding bills and the need for policy initiatives to prevent medical debt in the first place.