All articles tagged with #hospital bills
Former Olympic legend Mary Lou Retton is making remarkable progress in her battle against a rare form of pneumonia, according to her daughters. They shared an update on Instagram, stating that her breathing is becoming stronger and her reliance on machines is diminishing. A fundraising campaign to cover her hospital bills has already raised over $420,000, surpassing the initial goal of $50,000.
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.