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UVA Health Cancels Patient Lawsuits
The University of Virginia Health System will cancel a massive backlog of court judgments and liens against patients for unpaid bills, according to
Kaiser Health News. The lawsuits go back to the 1990s, and tens of thousands of families may benefit. However, most families who have already paid money to UVA because of lawsuits or liens will not be getting their money back.
The move to wipe out liens that drain home equity years after a hospital visit is extremely rare, scholars of healthcare finance told
The Health 202: House GOP is preparing for a drug pricing fight washingtonpost.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from washingtonpost.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Over 80 organizations attending our Virginia Conference next week Matt Beuschlein | Apr 21, 2021
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We are looking forward to seeing a few hundred of our best friends in Virginia health care and health policy next week at the 2021 Virginia State of Reform Health Policy Conference!
We get about half of our registration in the last week or so. And, since we’re in that window we, wanted to share with you the list of organizations who will be attending our event next week. It’s an impressive list and one that we’re honored to host and convene on April 29th!
Julia Rendleman for KHN
KHN reported in 2019 that UVA Health had sued patients 36,000 times over six years for more than $100 million, often for amounts far higher than what an insurer would have paid for their care.
University of Virginia Health System, which for years has sued thousands of patients annually for unpaid bills, said Monday it will cancel a massive backlog of court judgments and liens resulting from those lawsuits dating to the 1990s.
Combined with reforms UVA announced in 2019, the move is likely to benefit tens of thousands of families and make UVA Health s collections policies much more generous than those of many hospital systems, said scholars who study healthcare finance. The decision to wipe out liens that can drain home equity years after a hospital visit is extremely rare, they said.
BRYAN MCKENZIE
The (Charlottesville) Daily Progress
The University of Virginia Health System will release liens and judgments filed against most middle- and lower-income patients and limit patientsâ financial liability for catastrophic medical care as part of new billing policies that focus on a patientâs ability to pay.
Health System officials also will create an ombudsman position to assist patients with disputes and redesign intake and appointment scheduling to inform patients about insurance coverage limits and financial assistance prior to treatment.
Under the new policies announced Monday, the Health System will remove liens and judgments for patients whose earnings are 400% or less of the federal poverty income level of $12,880 for a single person or $26,500 for a family of four.