Danbury Hospital Is Reportedly No. 1 For Suing Patients in Connecticut
Danbury Hospital is aggressively going after patients for unpaid bills.
In fact, they are tops in Connecticut for taking patients to small claims court for not paying their hospital bills according to an article on the ctinsider website. But don't they have the right to go after individuals who ignore their hospital bills?
In 2016, they sued 6,400 patients due to unpaid invoices and were rewarded by their efforts when that action brought in $9 million. Senior policy officer from the Universal Health Care Foundation of Connecticut, Jill Zorn said:
These hospitals are supposed to be non-profit, and while they have to stay afloat, this doesn't seem like the right course to take.
My question is this: What is the right course to take? What happens if an individual has no health insurance or can only afford a health insurance policy with a huge deductible? Is the hospital supposed to forgive the bill? In some cases, the answer is "yes."
A spokesperson for Danbury Hospital said they provided $13 million in free health care in 2018. I know from personal experience that Danbury Hospital is willing to make arrangements with patients who have outstanding bills. Most hospitals will work your monthly payments around what you can afford. To find out if you're eligible for financial assistance, click on the financial assistance page at danburyhospital.org. To get started on a payment plan, call the billing department at 203-749-2650.