World's Greatest Healthcare System for patients... or for debt collectors? New report exposes "medical debt ecosystem"

A new report by researchers from Stanford and George Washington University, analyzing 15 years of Virginia court records, unveiled what they call a coordinated “medical debt ecosystem,” where hospitals, law firms, and courts join forces to “extract billions from patients.”

Authors of the report claim that this ecosystem thrives on hidden pricing and surprise billing practices, trapping patients in incomprehensible debt that can threaten their wages and homes.

The report, drawn from data spanning 2010 to 2024, shows that hospitals and providers filed 1.15 million lawsuits against patients, collected $1.4 billion in medical debt, and issued hundreds of thousands of wage garnishments.

In fact, the report showed that low-income workers were often targeted by this “medical debt ecosystem.” Non-profit hospitals actually filed the majority of the lawsuits, despite receiving tax exemptions for their community benefit.

https://www.fairfaxtimes.com/articles/new-report-exposes-medical-debt-ecosystem/article_f1afca26-5e69-4864-aab4-983bd9cf42ba.html

Is there a country with a healthcare system that has prioritized serving bankruptcy attorneys, debt buyers, and debt collectors as much as much as the US healthcare system has?