Q: Can you take a Hospital to court for not upholding their Financial Assistance Policy?
I have a medical bill with Methodist Health System who is a Tax Exempt health entity. They have a financial assistance policy in place that has in section 4.2 of the policy for medically indigent circumstances. The wording states "Medically Indigent" means a patient with medical or hospital bills from MHS, after payment by all 3rd parties, are equal to or greater than 5% of the patient's yearly income and whose income is between 200-500% poverty level. I was told that my annual income per their calculation is 313% poverty level. I make 78K per year and my medical bill is 25K. They have denied my claim and say that it means that the total must be equal to my yearly income or within 5%. I have all of the documentation from the start of the process to todays conversation with the director of operations. I have the policy printed and screenshots from their website with timestamps because they told me they are going to revise it as a result of my call.
A:
A Texas attorney could advise best, but your question remains open for a month. To answer meaningfully, an attorney would probably need to see the policy and related communications. Additionally. it's possible there could be forum selection clauses that govern resolution of disputes, whether through arbitration, civil court, or other forums. Good luck
Tim Akpinar
Justia Ask a Lawyer is a forum for consumers to get answers to basic legal questions. Any information sent through Justia Ask a Lawyer is not secure and is done so on a non-confidential basis only.
The use of this website to ask questions or receive answers does not create an attorney–client relationship between you and Justia, or between you and any attorney who receives your information or responds to your questions, nor is it intended to create such a relationship. Additionally, no responses on this forum constitute legal advice, which must be tailored to the specific circumstances of each case. You should not act upon information provided in Justia Ask a Lawyer without seeking professional counsel from an attorney admitted or authorized to practice in your jurisdiction. Justia assumes no responsibility to any person who relies on information contained on or received through this site and disclaims all liability in respect to such information.
Justia cannot guarantee that the information on this website (including any legal information provided by an attorney through this service) is accurate, complete, or up-to-date. While we intend to make every attempt to keep the information on this site current, the owners of and contributors to this site make no claims, promises or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness or adequacy of the information contained in or linked to from this site.
