The Scruggs Law Firm, P.A. Release: Uninsured Patients File Class Action Lawsuit Against Charleston Area Medical Center And Charleston Area Medical Center Health System In West Virginia State Court
OXFORD, Miss. and CHARLESTON, W.Va., Feb. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- The following release is being issued today by The Scruggs Law Firm, P.A.:
A class action lawsuit brought by uninsured patients was filed today in West Virginia state court against Charleston Area Medical Center, Inc. and its parent nonprofit corporation, Charleston Area Medical Center Health System, Inc. (together, "CAMC") for grossly overcharging uninsured patients. The suit also accuses CAMC of going after uninsured patients with aggressive and abusive debt collection practices, placing liens on homes, and even suing patients in court when they cannot afford to pay the inflated bills.
The plaintiffs contend that CAMC's practices violate multiple West Virginia laws. These laws include: contract laws mandating fair and reasonable prices for the value of services provided; the state Consumer Credit and Protection Act; and laws against unjust enrichment.
The suit depicts CAMC's regular overcharging of uninsured patients for medical services at rates that far exceed the amount charged to all other patient groups. Moreover, these inflated rates are concealed from an uninsured patient when he or she is admitted to the hospital. CAMC forces these patients to "consent" to pay all charges as they are being admitted-most of the time under duress of pain and illness-without informing them what those charges will be and that the prices bear no rational relationship to the cost of the actual care they receive.
John Crongeyer, an attorney with Vroon & Crongeyer who is representing the plaintiffs, stated, "Charleston Area Medical Center has clearly breached the community's trust in the most egregious way. People assume that their local hospital-especially a nonprofit hospital-is providing medical care to all those who need it at rates that are reasonable and fair. Charging uninsured patients, those who can least afford it, outrageously inflated rates for necessary medical services is deceptive and clearly unjust."
"The basis for which Charleston receives its tax exemption is to provide charity care for those who can't afford to pay. This hospital has woefully failed to live up to its obligation.
Further, by charging uninsured patients substantially more than all other patients, Charleston is not only taking advantage of the government and deceiving the community, it is getting a free ride off of the taxpayers' backs. Though this lawsuit does not challenge their tax-exempt status, Charleston's abusive treatment of its uninsured patients is particularly unconscionable and unfair in light of their 'charitable,' not-for-profit mission. Their discriminatory billing practices cannot and should not withstand scrutiny under state-law standards. Charleston should direct its resources toward remedying this wrong rather than attempting to justify practices that have no rightful place in law or equity, that are not necessary for the fiscal survival of this hospital, and that have already failed such scrutiny in other state-law cases."
Charleston Area Medical Center is the flagship facility of the CAMC Health System in Charleston, West Virginia. It is the largest hospital in the state of West Virginia with over 900 beds.
The law firms representing the plaintiff are the Scruggs Law Firm of Oxford, MS; Vroon & Crongeyer, LLP of Atlanta, GA; Wilson Law Offices of Moundsville, WV; and the Law Offices of David L. Meredith in Jackson, MS.
To learn more about the class action lawsuits by uninsured patients against nonprofit hospital systems and nonprofit hospitals, please visit http://www.nfplitigation.com/.
Contact: John Crongeyer Richard Scruggs Vroon & Crongeyer LLP The Scruggs Law Firm, P.A. (404) 607-6713 (662) 281-1212
The Scruggs Law Firm, P.A.CONTACT: John Crongeyer, Vroon & Crongeyer LLP, +1-404-607-6713; RichardScruggs, The Scruggs Law Firm, P.A., +1-662-281-1212