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Healthcare in the United States is a mess, with over 30 million people uninsured. Even people with insurance often don’t see enough of their expenses covered. A hospital room or ambulance ride can end up costing a single individual thousands of dollars. Fortunately, most hospitals don’t go after people with medical debt as they’re able to operate and be profitable without doing so. Sadly, this isn’t always the case. Some hospitals choose to go after people who don’t pay their debts, even if it’s because they simply can’t afford it.

Source: Democracy Now!/YouTube

During the pandemic, Community Health Systems Inc. (CHS), which is a huge hospital chain in the US,  has sued over 19,000 patients for medical debts. These debts are between $201 and $162,000. Many of the amounts are more than many people make in a year. Plus, this is all going on during a pandemic that has put extraordinary financial strains on most people. CHS, on the other hand, made a huge profit during the pandemic and got funding from the CARES Act. They made so much money this year that executives received huge bonuses, too. Yet, they still decided to go after struggling people and families. While CHS representatives claimed that the hospital wouldn’t sue people who couldn’t afford to pay, many of the defendants in these lawsuits say this is not the case. They are unable to pay and their attempts to communicate with the company were ignored.

One part-time nurse who makes around $850 per month and has struggled to pay bills is being sued for $9,281 for a singular visit due to food poisoning. A man who is being sued for more than he makes a year, pled, “I only bring home a check of 525 dollars a week and have [been] helping two daughters with my grandkids… my prayer to you is please relieve some of this debt and help out the average person.” Another woman who is struggling to even pay rent wrote to a court, “I am currently doing my best not to drown. I do not have anything left to give. If you take my check from me, I would have no place to live.”

Sign this petition to demand that Community Health Systems Inc. immediately suspend all legal action related to medical debt, and use the millions and millions of dollars they made during the pandemic for debt relief!

Stop Suing People for Medical Debt During the PandemicClick Here to Sign Petition

To continue speaking up, sign these other petitions as well:

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