A lawsuit claims Memorial Hospital Jacksonville (Fla.) billed auto insurance companies at legal rates but then billed patients in car accidents at higher rates if they didn't have health insurance, according to a Florida Times-Union report.
Personal Injury Protection insurance is an extension of car insurance that covers medical expenses and is available only in some states. State law in Florida requires drivers injured in car crashes to be billed at PIP-rates for any remaining balance in their medical bills when they do not have medical insurance.
The hospital has allegedly billed patients higher rates when PIP coverage did not cover the entire medical bill. One patient claims she was billed at higher rates after her PIP was exhausted. She then contacted the hospital about the issue and her bill was allegedly changed back to PIP rates — something she found suspicious.
The plaintiffs are trying to boost the lawsuit to class-action status based on attorneys' research into the number of car accident patients the hospital treats and its pattern of overbilling.
A hospital spokesperson has said the lawsuit has no merit and Memorial's billing practices are "appropriate, reasonable and conform to industry standards," according to the report.
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Personal Injury Protection insurance is an extension of car insurance that covers medical expenses and is available only in some states. State law in Florida requires drivers injured in car crashes to be billed at PIP-rates for any remaining balance in their medical bills when they do not have medical insurance.
The hospital has allegedly billed patients higher rates when PIP coverage did not cover the entire medical bill. One patient claims she was billed at higher rates after her PIP was exhausted. She then contacted the hospital about the issue and her bill was allegedly changed back to PIP rates — something she found suspicious.
The plaintiffs are trying to boost the lawsuit to class-action status based on attorneys' research into the number of car accident patients the hospital treats and its pattern of overbilling.
A hospital spokesperson has said the lawsuit has no merit and Memorial's billing practices are "appropriate, reasonable and conform to industry standards," according to the report.
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