Advocates Rally to End Johns Hopkins' Medical Debt Lawsuits

On September 15, a coalition known as the Coalition for a Humane Hopkins, along with students from Johns Hopkins University and local advocates, organized a caravan and speak-out event aimed at persuading Johns Hopkins Hospital to formally discontinue its practice of suing patients over medical debt.

The event commenced at the corner of 29th Street and Remington Avenue, leading to Harriet Tubman Grove in Wyman Park Dell, where participants delivered a letter to university administrators. This action follows previous efforts to end the hospital's controversial policy of pursuing legal action against patients, often targeting low-income individuals over relatively small debts.

A report by National Nurses United (NNU) revealed that since 2009, Johns Hopkins filed over 2,400 lawsuits in Maryland courts, seeking nearly $4.8 million in alleged medical debt from former patients. In more than 400 instances, the hospital secured garnishments from wages or bank accounts.

After NNU highlighted these practices last year, the number of lawsuits filed by Johns Hopkins significantly decreased, with only one lawsuit recorded in 2020. However, the hospital had previously resumed aggressive litigation after a similar reduction in response to media scrutiny in 2008.

Advocates are now pressing for a public commitment from Johns Hopkins to abandon this practice entirely. The letter delivered at the event was signed by various student organizations, including the Gertrude Stein Society and Hopkins Med for Harm Reduction, emphasizing the urgent need to address medical debt as the nation grapples with the ongoing health crisis and economic challenges stemming from COVID-19.

Josh Pickett, a registered nurse at Johns Hopkins, expressed the need for the hospital to ensure that no patients are subjected to lawsuits in the future, highlighting the moral responsibility of healthcare providers to support all individuals, regardless of their financial situations.

In addition to advocating for the cessation of medical debt lawsuits, registered nurses at Johns Hopkins have also called for the hospital to honor their efforts to unionize with the National Nurses Organizing Committee.

Terrel Askew, a member of the Fair Development Roundtable, emphasized the importance of holding Johns Hopkins accountable for its treatment of the community, arguing that the institution's resources could be better utilized to uplift the economically disadvantaged residents of Baltimore.

Reported by HarborBeat based on National Nurses United (source).