Advocate Health Care has agreed to refund as much as $3.5 million in payments to settle a class-action lawsuit alleging that the network overcharged uninsured patients.
The Oak Brook, IL-based hospital network will recalculate bills for any patient paying for treatment since November 2000 who would have qualified for free or discounted care under its financial-assistance policy. The financial assistance policy, which had been put in place in 2003, offers free or discounted care to patients earning up to 400 percent of the federal poverty level.
The settlement, which must still be approved by the court, gives qualified patients who didn't apply for discounts a chance to fill out the application.
To learn more about the suit:
- read this Modern Healthcare piece (reg. Re.)
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