SHORTCHANGED: How hospital financial assistance practices and policies fail Oregon patients with the greatest need
Oregon hospital patients are suffering under the weight of medial debt that they may not have owed. In exchange for generous tax breaks, nonprofit hospitals are required by federal and state law to reduce or eliminate medical bills for patients who can’t afford them. However, our review of financial assistance policies for ten of Oregon's largest nonprofit health systems revealed that most are out of compliance with these laws and that systems are creating significant roadblocks to accessing financial assistance. These actions can have immediate and often devastating consequences for low-income patients, by driving them to use up all of their savings or ruining their credit for years – or both.
Learn more in our full report, SHORTCHANGED: How hospital financial assistance practices and policies fail Oregon patients with the greatest need.
Related coverage:
New York Times: They Were Entitled to Free Care. Hospitals Hounded Them to Pay.