Have you ever received a medical bill you weren’t expecting? Even worse, how about a medical bill you can’t possibly afford? A CBS News analysis of IRS data found some nonprofit hospitals in Philadelphia and across the country attempt to collect hundreds of millions of dollars a year from low-income patients.
All the big hospitals in the Philadelphia area are nonprofit, and that means they receive federal, state and local tax breaks. In exchange, nonprofit hospitals are required to provide free or discounted care to those who can’t afford to pay. However, our investigation found the law is vague, and some patients may be falling through the cracks.
Despite walking with a cane and struggling to stand for long periods of time, Denise Costa-Mudrey spends a few hours a day as a lunch aide at a school in Stratford, New Jersey. It’s a job she says helps her pay off medical bills…