This Wealthy, Church-Affiliated Hospital Keeps Suing Poor Patients
By David Gee, June 29, 2019

A Christian hospital system that makes millions of dollars per year continues to sue its patients, who are incredibly poor, according to a new in-depth report by Wendi C. Thomas at ProPublica.

Methodist University Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, a massive non-profit healthcare organization that pays virtually no local, state, or federal income tax, is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. But while many non-profit hospitals forgive the debts of their patients, this one aggressively goes after anyone who owes them money, including their own employees.

Its handling of poor patients begins with a financial assistance policy that, unlike many of its peers around the country, all but ignores patients with any form of health insurance, no matter their out-of-pocket costs. If they are unable to afford their bills, patients then face what experts say is rare: A licensed collection agency owned by the hospital.

Lawsuits follow. Finally, after the hospital wins a judgment, it repeatedly tries to garnish patients’ wages, which it does in a far higher share of cases than other nonprofit hospitals in Memphis.

Its own employees are no exception. Since 2014, Methodist has sued dozens of its workers for unpaid medical bills, including a hospital housekeeper sued in 2017 for more than $23,000. That year, she told the court, she made $16,000. She’s in a court-ordered payment plan, but in the case of more than 70 other employees, Methodist has garnished the wages it pays them to recoup its medical charges.

All of this is legal. The question is whether it’s ethical. You would hope a Christian non-profit hospital would put forgiveness above everything else, especially for patients who don’t have the means to pay. That’s what similar hospitals do...