Northwell Ends Lawsuits Over Unpaid Bills: Report

UPDATE, JAN. 6: After the report of its lawsuits in the New York Times, Northwell Health has paused all its legal filings for bill collections, according to Newsday.

Newsday reports that the healthcare provider — the largest in the state — is rescinding all legal filings for unpaid bills that were filed since April of 2020. The hospital chain will also not try the cases again later.

Northwell representatives said that the 2,500 legal claims that were reported on by the Times were for debts that were incurred before the pandemic began.

NEW HYDE PARK, NY — Northwell Health, the largest health system in New York, continued to sue thousands of patients for unpaid medical bills last year, according to reporting by the New York Times.

According to the Times, Gov. Andrew Cuomo ordered state-run hospitals to suspend lawsuits over unpaid medical bills last year, and most private hospitals followed suit. However, Northwell continued to file lawsuits, and brought cases against more than 2,500 patients — the most of any health system in the state.

The suits sought an average of $1,700, according to the Times. Richard Miller, Northwell's chief business strategy officer, told the Times that all the lawsuits were related to cases that dated to before the pandemic began.

Northwell is the largest medical provider on Long Island. It is run by Michael Dowling, a close friend and ally of Cuomo. Northwell is in charge of overseeing the distribution of the coronavirus vaccine on Long Island.

Northwell's facilities include Cohen Children's Medical Center, Glen Cove Hospital, Huntington Hospital, Long Island Jewish Medical Center, North Shore University Hospital and many more.

You can read more at the New York Times.