Medical Debt Project

Increasing numbers of individuals and families in Massachusetts find themselves owing huge sums of money to health care providers because they do not have health insurance, have only limited coverage, or are the victims of unfair practices by providers or payers. The onset of medical debt frequently has a snowball effect, quickly leading to additional financial and health problems including bad credit ratings, disruptions in housing and employment, and lack of future access to medical care.

Over the past several years, HLA’s medical debt caseload has increased dramatically. In response, HLA created its Medical Debt Project to focus specifically on this growing problem. In addition to representing an increased number of clients facing substantial medical debt, HLA is working to impact public policy to create protections for consumers from accumulating medical debt in the first place. We are referring medical debt cases to members of the Pro Bono Legal Network and training these attorneys on the specifics of medical debt. We have also convened a Medical Debt Committee that includes staff from the Volunteer Lawyers Project, Greater Boston Legal Services, Shelter Legal Services, The Access Project, and Health Care For All to spur collaboration among advocacy and legal service organizations in developing strategies for representing clients with medical debt. We have also published a guidebook Medical Debt: A Guide for Massachusetts Advocates in collaboration with the Volunteer Lawyers Project, which helps consumers and advocates address medical debt.

In the coming year, HLA will continue to devote increased resources to its Medical Debt Project in order to help those consumers facing medical debt, prevent future consumers from accumulating medical debt, and educate the private bar and other advocates about ways to help clients who are coping with this problem.