Providence must provide $157.8 million in refunds and debt forgiveness for nearly 100,000 Washingtonians.
I’m proud to share the outcome of our investigation and lawsuit against Providence, one of the largest health care systems in the country.
Our investigation found that Providence created barriers for thousands of patients who were legally entitled to financial aid for their medical bills. They not only failed to notify patients about this financial assistance, as the law requires, but also kept collecting payments and sent many of their most vulnerable patients to debt collectors.
One of Providence’s own employees summed it up pretty well. They called the practice, “sending the poor into bad debt.”
Thanks to my team’s work, Providence must provide $157.8 million in refunds and debt forgiveness for nearly 100,000 Washingtonians.
If that sounds like a lot of money – it is! This is the largest resolution in U.S. history for a case like this.
Many Washingtonians are eligible for significant discounts on their out-of-pocket hospital expenses, including co-pays and deductibles. We will ensure that hospitals honor this important law.
As Governor, medical debt relief and bringing down the cost of health care will be a top priority. I’ll make sure there are critical protections that improve affordability.
If you agree and want to help my campaign, here are a few things you can do:
Thank you,
Bob Ferguson
P.S. Bob Ferguson for Governor is subject to the legislative session freeze, which means that we legally cannot accept donations until early March.
