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Fight a UCHealth Lawsuit

Hannah Locklear | April 23, 2024

Hannah Locklear
Legal Expert
Hannah Locklear, BA

Hannah Locklear is SoloSuit’s Marketing and Impact Manager. With an educational background in Linguistics, Spanish, and International Development from Brigham Young University, Hannah has also worked as a legal support specialist for several years.

Summary: UCHealth is under scrutiny for hiring third-party debt collectors to file debt lawsuits against consumers and avoid listing the hospital as a party to the case. If you’ve been sued for a debt owed to UCHealth, SoloSuit can help you respond and settle the debt before your court date.

Are you being sued for a debt resulting from medical services provided by UCHealth? You might not even realize it because UCHealth has recruited third-party debt collection agencies to help with the company’s debt collection efforts. And most recently, many of these lawsuits don’t even mention UCHealth as a party in the case.

This can lead to serious confusion and challenges for those affected by medical debt lawsuits connected to UCHealth. Understanding this perplexing issue can help you start the process of settling your debt with UCHealth and its associated third-party debt collectors.

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UCHealth might sue you

When you receive UCHealth medical care in the United States, you’ll receive a bill for the services provided. If you don’t take action on paying off the bill, debt collectors might contact you. And if you ignore the collectors, UCHealth has the right to take legal action in some circumstances.

In the past, UCHealth filed debt collection lawsuits under its own name, but since the pandemic, it has assigned many of its debts to third-party debt collectors who file the lawsuit under their own agency’s name. You can imagine how confusing this might be for consumers who don’t recognize the name of the third-party debt collectors.

This lack of transparency makes it more challenging for consumers to respond to a medical debt lawsuit and resolve their debts with UCHealth, and as a result, consumers have taken action.

Consumers take legal action against UCHealth third-party debt collectors

A current class-action lawsuit against Credit Service Company, one of UCHealth's debt collection vendors, highlights the legal controversies surrounding the practice of suing on behalf of UCHealth without listing the organization as a party to the case. The lawsuit argues that it is unlawful for a third party to sue over a debt owed to another entity.

Here is a brief summary of the class-action lawsuit:

  • Credit Service Company, Inc. (CSC), a debt collection agency, is being sued for aggressive practices in collecting medical debts.
  • Working with UCHealth, Colorado's largest healthcare system, CSC is accused of exploiting vulnerable Coloradans, including plaintiffs Zachary Waite and Catherine Woods-Sullivan.
  • CSC is charged with acting aggressively in debt collection, potentially engaging in illegal activities, and demanding patients to disclose private medical information during disputes.
  • The lawsuit raises issues about CSC’s compliance with Colorado's consumer protections and potential violations of the Colorado Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. It also questions whether CSC, as UCHealth's agent, is unlawfully practicing law and deceiving in litigation.
  • Waite and Woods-Sullivan's experiences highlight the impact of CSC's collection methods, including unresponsiveness to disputes and aggressive lawsuits.The case has expanded to represent various Colorado residents similarly targeted by CSC for debts owed to UCHealth.
  • The lawsuit seeks class certification, monetary damages, equitable relief, and clarity on the legality of CSC's practices, potentially affecting medical debt collection in Colorado.

Despite the issues listed in the class-action lawsuit, UCHealth maintains that it offers financial assistance to uninsured and low-income patients.

Resolve your debt with UCHealth

Regardless of who is suing you, it’s possible to negotiate a settlement with UCHealth, especially if you are facing financial hardship. Here are some ways you can go about resolving a debt with UCHealth and avoid going to court.

Understand the source of the lawsuit.

If you're being sued over medical debt by UCHealth, it might be under a different name. Take a closer look at your court documents and be sure to understand who is suing you and why. If a third-party debt collection agency is suing you over a debt you owe to UCHealth, you might be able to join in on the class-action lawsuit and stand up for your rights for transparency in debt collection legal action.

Seek legal aid

Once you understand the different parties involved in your case, it will be easier to respond correctly. The first step to defending yourself in a medical debt lawsuit is to respond to the Summons and Complaint with a written Answer. You should file the original copy of your Answer with the court and send a copy of it to the opposing attorney, whose address should be listed on the Summons and Complaint.

Your local court may offer free legal aid services to assist you in responding to a medical debt lawsuit. Many states offer state-wide legal aid options as well. And SoloSuit is a great resource that can help you respond to collectors at any stage of the debt collection process.

Explore financial assistance options

If you're struggling with medical debt, UCHealth and other organizations might have programs to help. To learn more about your financial assistance options with UCHealth, check out the hospital’s financial assistance policy. You might be surprised to learn that you qualify for a discount or medical forgiveness.

Contact UCHealth’s lawyers to discuss settlement options

When you don’t qualify for financial assistance through the hospital, you can still negotiate a payment plan or settlement with UCHeath. If you’ve been sued, contact UCHealth’s attorneys to negotiate your settlement. SoloSettle can help you start the settlement process and avoid intimidating phone calls with debt collectors and creditor’s rights attorneys.

Medical debt lawsuits, especially those obscured through third-party filings, are a complex and stressful ordeal. SoloSuit empowers you to respond to a Summons for debt and resolve the debt before going to court.

Learn more about how to settle your debt in this video:

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