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As the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic shifted to the U.S. -- with a quarter of the world's confirmed cases -- the fear of economic collapse was palpable. Many Americans got "free" tests, only to be hit later with surprise bills. Hundreds of thousands died; hundreds of thousands were hospitalized. For survivors, they may pay annual salaries worth of bills; for those who died, their families do not get a funeral. Instead, they will get a visit from one of the country's ruthless collection hound dogs.
A bombshell report in
JAMA on lawsuits and wage garnishments by hospitals for unpaid medical bills in Virginia refueled discussions surrounding medical debt. As I looked closer at this issue in my own state of Maryland, I learned how hospitals got lured into the business of suing their patients after caring for them. According to the Maryland Judiciary's public case records, in 2018-2019, nearly 16,000 people had been sued in Maryland, and half of them by the same law office: that of John E. Lindner, PA, a law firm of debt collectors from Lutherville-Timonium, Maryland. Lindner had covered over $14 million in lawsuits since the start of 2018 for unpaid medical bills. While their practice spans most hospitals across Maryland, the majority of Lindner's cases were taken over from the University of Maryland Medical System, the Johns Hopkins Health System Corporation, MedStar Health, LifeBridge Health, and Greater Baltimore Medical Center HealthCare -- health systems which cover the majority of Maryland's healthcare.