Peer Reviewed Article

Hospital Lawsuits Over Unpaid Bills Increased By 37 Percent In Wisconsin From 2001 To 2018

Authors
  • Zack Cooper
  • James Han
  • Neale Mahoney
Published
December 8, 2021
Publication
Health Affairs
Discipline
Areas of Study
Geographic Areas
Document Control Number(s)
  • ISPS 21-39
Citation

Cooper, Zack, James Han, and Neale Mahoney (2021). Bills Increased By 37 Percent In Wisconsin From 2001 To 2018. Health Affairs, 40(12):1830–1835. DOI: 10.1377/hlthaff.2021.01130

Abstract

We analyzed Wisconsin court records from the period 2001–18 to document trends in hospital lawsuits to recover patients’ unpaid medical bills. These lawsuits increased 37 percent during this period, from 1.12 per 1,000 residents in 2001 to 1.53 per 1,000 residents in 2018, with lawsuits being disproportionately directed at Black patients and patients living in poorer and less densely populated counties.

Description

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