Tens of thousands of uninsured patients could qualify for up to $3.5 million in refunds on payments they made to eight Chicago and suburban hospitals under a class-action lawsuit settlement approved Wednesday.
Tens of thousands of uninsured patients could qualify for up to $3.5 million in refunds on payments they made to eight Chicago and suburban hospitals under a class-action lawsuit settlement approved Wednesday. Cook County Circuit Judge Sophia Hall accepted the settlement between patients and Oak Brook-based Advocate Health Care, the largest provider of medical care in the Chicago area. Advocate previously sent notices to 170,000 former patients about the settlement. Now it will mail claim forms to 40,000 of those patients it has determined are likely to be eligible, said Advocate spokeswoman Kelly Jo Golson. The settlement extends Advocate’s existing policies retroactively to patients who received medically necessary care at an Advocate hospital from Nov. 1, 2000 through Dec. 31, 2008. Filed in 2003, the lawsuit claimed the not-for-profit hospitals overcharged uninsured patients. "We hope it will serve as a model for other hospitals to follow in providing charitable care to uninsured patients," said attorney Robert Cohen, who helped represent the patients. Advocate has hired an ombudsperson to assist patients who qualify and wish to complete a charity application. Other hospital employees have been trained to help. The Chicago hospitals included in the settlement are Advocate Bethany Hospital, Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center and Advocate Trinity Hospital. The suburban hospitals are Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital in Downers Grove, Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington, Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge and Advocate South Suburban Hospital in Hazel Crest. ______ Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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