The True Experts of Health Care
“1 in 5 Americans has medical debt in collections”
It all started when…
Every second Friday of the month, a group of students would travel down to Fredericksburg, VA to stand outside of a courthouse, where over 300 patients were on the docket…
“36% of Virginia hospitals garnished wages in 2017”
… Despite many having insurance, these patient’s were met with insurmountable surprise bills from Hospitals. Many walked out of their court hearings learning that they will live a life of debt, with their wages garnished indefinitely. Student advocates from Restoring Medicine asked patients to be interviewed on camera to share their stories following their court hearings. Together they created a film series called “The True Experts of Health Care,” which garnered national attention upon its release—including major news media outlets and the National Economic Council of the White House…
Hospitals drop lawsuits…
The National Economic Council of the White House requested to see each video as they came out. Not too long after the national media attention, several Virginia hospitals dropped thousands of lawsuits against patients and their rate of lawsuits dropped by a significant margin. Furthermore, the film series and our advocacy team contributed to National policy change regarding price transparency
Efficacy of Advocacy…
Following the advocacy intervention, there was a 59% decrease in the number of lawsuits filed and a 66% decrease in the number of wage garnishments filed. The burden of a life in debt had ben lifted from the shoulders of thousands of patients
