Something is terribly wrong when 700,000 people in
America go bankrupt each year because of medical bills.
That’s why the Tennessee Health Care Campaign is part of
a multi-state effort to make hospitals more accountable through Community
Catalyst’s Hospital Accountability Project.
Many hospitals routinely engage in financial practices that push
patients into debt by charging uninsured patients nearly three times
the rate of insured patients for the same procedures or by selling
patients' bills to third-party lenders that charge up to 27% interest.
Some patients penalized through such practices are later found to
be eligible for financial assistance. The Hospital Accountability
Project seeks more equity and transparency in Tennessee hospitals'
financial assistance policies.
THCC is partnering with four other Tennessee organizations in this
effort: National Alliance on Mental Illness/NAMI-TN,
Progressive Baptist Church of Nashville, Tennessee
Disability Coalition, and Tennessee
Justice Center.
Thanks to our efforts, Tennessee now has a law that restricts
what uninsured patients can be charged. THCC is working with volunteers
to make sure that hospitals are complying with the law.
Is your community hospital in compliance? Call us toll-free, 1-877-431-7083,
to see what you can do.
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