One State’s History of Hospital Debt Lawsuits Reveals Racial Gap
- Wisconsin study spotlights burden on Black residents
- Collections lawsuits increased by more than a third since 2001
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Hospitals sued patients to collect medical bills at an escalating pace over the past two decades in Wisconsin, according to a new analysis, and the suits disproportionately affected Black people.
The rate of medical debt collection lawsuits in the state increased by more than a third from 2001 to 2018, researchers from Yale University and Stanford University reported in the journal Health Affairs. Lawsuits that led to wage garnishments also rose. The authors called it the first study of long-term trends in such suits by hospitals.