Patients v Carolinas Medical Center
Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Against Hospitals, NorthEast Medical Center, et al
A state judge has dismissed four of five class-action lawsuits that allege hospitals charge higher rates for patients who are uninsured than for those who have health insurance. The lawsuits claim that hospitals have two-tiered billing systems: One for patients insured by companies that negotiate discounts and another higher rate for the uninsured.
Superior Court Judge Forrest Bridges recently dismissed claims against Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, NorthEast Medical Center in Concord, Rowan Regional Medical Center in Salisbury and Moses Cone Memorial Hospital in Greensboro.
Seven of the eight patients involved had been sued by the hospitals first for not paying their bills. The judge said those patients could make their unfair billing claims part of their defense in the lawsuits the hospitals filed against them.
