Features

Uninsured patients are scheduled to hold a press conference today (Tuesday, September 14) to announce two class action lawsuits against Sutter Health, the corporate conglomerate that owns Alta Bates Summit Medical Center as well as hospitals throughout Northern and Central California and the state of Hawaii. 

The lawsuits, filed respectively in California Superior Court in Oakland and San Francisco, charge that Sutter Health is in violation of what they called “numerous laws” by overcharging uninsured patients. 

The suits are asking for restitution for overcharged patients, as well as a court injunction prohibiting what they call “unfair, unreasonable, and inflated prices for medical care to its uninsured patients.” 

The California State Legislature recently passed legislation introduced by Senator Deborah Ortiz (D-Sacramento), which would require each California hospitals to develop a charity care and reduced payment policy.