Hospitals Often Don’t Help Needy Patients, Even Those Who Qualify

Some make getting aid hard, delay checking eligibility and press for payments that aren’t refunded…….

By Anna Wilde Mathews

Nov. 17, 2022

Nonprofit hospitals must have financial-assistance policies for needy patients, under federal requirements tied to an estimated $60 billion in annual tax breaks.

They often make that aid hard to get. Hospitals put up obstacles, delay checking eligibility and sometimes press for payments that aren’t refunded even if a patient eventually gets qualified for assistance.

Hospitals Often Don’t Help Needy Patients, Even Those Who Qualify – WSJ