QUESTION
Why doesn't New York City Health and Hospitals (H+H) participate in the Rest in Peace Medical Debt program?
1:04:10
·
49 sec
Mitch Katz, President and CEO of New York City Health and Hospitals (H+H), clarifies that H+H does not participate in the Rest in Peace Medical Debt program because they do not sue patients for unpaid bills.
- H+H aims to avoid sending bills patients can't afford.
- They might send a bill without knowing a patient's financial situation if the patient hasn't provided this information.
- H+H's policy is against taking legal action for unpaid medical bills.
Lynn Schulman
1:04:10
So the last question I have is about Rest in Peace Medical Debt, which you're familiar with, the Mayo's program, to make sure that people who are in debt have the ability to pay off their medical debts and all of that.
1:04:22
My understanding is H and H is not part of that program.
1:04:25
Is there a reason for that?
Mitch Katz
1:04:26
We are not part of it because we never, you know, sue patients.
Lynn Schulman
1:04:32
That's what I
Mitch Katz
1:04:32
told them.
1:04:33
I just
Lynn Schulman
1:04:33
wanted to get on the record.
Mitch Katz
1:04:34
I mean, first, we are very you know, a sort of about never trying never to send someone a bill that they can't pay to start with.
1:04:43
Occasionally, it might happen because someone has not provided us any financial information, and so we have just no idea.
1:04:50
Right.
1:04:50
But regardless, we don't sue we don't send people to court because of unpaid bills.
Lynn Schulman
1:04:57
Okay.
1:04:57
Thank you very much.
1:04:59
Thank you, chair.