Medical debt is the wild west of debt collection. Every debt collector wants in on it and consumer attorneys often find themselves without the tools to fight back. This seminar will give you those tools so that you can both vigorously defend medical debt collection as well as go on the offensive.
This webinar will appeal to both private practitioners and legal service attorneys who need defenses against medical claims and want to explore counterclaims that can range from single counterclaims to possible class actions.
Please note this session will include a one-hour webinar and a one-hour online conversation.
What You Will Learn
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- What the central aspects of medical debt collection are, including an explanation of the “Chargemaster,” your rights to access the hospital’s pricing schedule, and items you should be demanding in the discovery process.
- Which affirmative defenses will give you a fighting chance, open up discovery even where a counterclaim isn’t available, and increase your standing with regards to settlement.
- How to use FDCPA and UDAAP statutes to challenge the fairness of the hospital’s billing practice and the debt collector’s actions.
- What discovery items you should request and how they will help you defend and prosecute cases.
- How to follow the Center for Medicare/Medicaid Services and their ever-evolving rules for hospital billing.
Speakers
Keith Hagan practices consumer law as a partner at Hofer Hagan LLP, in Indianapolis, Indiana. He has been on the front line of defending medical debt cases since 2018.
Berneta L. Haynes is a senior attorney who focuses on consumer energy policy and medical debt. At NCLC, she recently authored Protecting Older Adults from Surprise Medical Bills and The Racial Health and Wealth Gap: Impact of Medical Debt on Black Families. She is also a contributing author to the medical debt chapter of NCLC’s Collection Actions treatise and Model Medical Debt Protection Act. Before joining NCLC, she served as a director at Georgia Watch, a state-based consumer advocacy organization in Atlanta, where she worked to make energy programs, quality healthcare, financial protection, and civil justice more equitable and accessible for all. At Georgia Watch, she led coalitions, facilitated forums, steered the passage of crucial medical billing legislation, and authored consumer-facing educational materials (such as the Georgia Consumer Guide for Medical Bills and Debt) and policy guides on energy equity, financial protection, and healthcare billing. Previously, she practiced law at Environmental Law and Policy Center in Chicago and Southern Environmental Law Center. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in English, Writing, and Psychology from Drury University, her Master’s degree in English from University of Iowa, and her law degree from University of Iowa College of Law.
Please note that live webinars are free to all NACA members. After the webinar has aired, registrants will need to purchase the webinar if they want to view it. Non-members who purchased the webinar and higher level/firm members with full access to the Training Library will have access to the webinar after it has aired.
