Eliminating medical debt to build trust

Ruth Landé and Noam Levey shared their experiences and insights with Richard Baron, MD regarding medical debt, highlighting the widespread nature of the problem and its effects on individuals and communities.

• Role of hospitals: Hospitals can build trust or destroy it depending on their approach to billing and debt collection.
• Scope of medical debt: Medical debt is widespread and takes various forms, including credit card debt and payment plans.
• Debt collection practices: Outside vendors often collect medical debts, leading to confusion and mistrust.
• Financial assistance: Financial assistance programs should be simplified and standardized to prevent medical debt.
• Insurance and providers: Insurance companies and providers play a role in medical debt and should be held accountable.

They also emphasized the need for policy changes and better communication between health care providers and patients to address this issue.

Additional resources:

• 100 Million People in America Are Saddled With Health Care Debt (KFF Health News)
• Trapped: America’s Crippling Medical Debt Crisis (RIP Medical Debt)
• Debt Collection in American Medicine — A History (NEJM)
• Preventing Medical Debt From Disrupting Health and Financial Health – Recommendations for Hospitals and Health Systems (Financial Health Network)