A look into medical bill debt in Michigan
From utilities to car payments, millions are paying bills.
In Michigan, 116 nonprofit hospitals receive over $1 billion in tax benefits thanks to the Affordable Care Act. The purpose is to make healthcare accessible for everyone.
Jared Walker is with DollarFor, a nonprofit that aims to help patients access financial assistance. The organization sees thousands of patients weekly who need help with medical debt.
"Hospitals have been able to keep their tax-exempt status for a long time and not provide the community benefit that they are supposed to," Walker said.
According to tax data from the Henry Ford Health system, the organization collected over $16 million from patients who were eligible for community benefits in 2022.
"We vehemently disagree with CBS News' interpretation of this section of the tax form," a Henry Ford spokesperson said. "It cannot accurately be taken as evidence that over 16 million dollars was collected from patients who were eligible for community benefits. Rather, in keeping with the purpose of the form, it is an estimate of debt we did not collect from people eligible for financial assistance."
Experts say many hospitals aren't telling patients that help is out there.
"If it's available, they should offer it to you," Donald Pintor said.
Pintor and his wife, Laura, from Rock, Michigan, have been together for over 40 years. In October 2023, tragedy struck when Laura Pintor experienced severe neck pain.
"Once we got up to Marquette in the emergency room, I don't remember anything. I was out," she said.
After two hospitals couldn't determine what caused the medical emergency, she was life-flighted to Henry Ford Health in Detroit. It was determined that she was bleeding in her brain. Doctors said it was a medical mystery.
"Most people don't get here, they told me. She should have died," Donald Pintor said.
Eventually, doctors told the family that Laura Pintor's bleeding had suddenly stopped. That's when she was able to head home.
"The community pulled together, and it still amazes me," she said.
Fundraising helped the Pintors collect half, but they still had to fork over another $10,000.
"A patient should not be able to leave the hospital without knowing what they are eligible for with their financial assistance," Walker said.
Data shows that Henry Ford uses federal poverty guidelines to determine if someone qualifies for free care if their income is at or below 250%. For example, it would total just under $38,000 for one person. But there's also a sliding-scale discount of up to 400%.
Experts say the system needs a significant overhaul.
"You can get a discount if you're single, making $60,000," said Walker. "A lot of people leave the hospital having no idea that these (discounts) exist, and I think that's by design."
Henry Ford sent CBS News Detroit the following statement:
"As a non-profit healthcare institution that has served our community for 110 years and counting, caring for all our patients – regardless of socio-economic status – is central to our identity and mission. We are proud to have a variety of resources available to help our patients navigate the financial side of their care, including embedding financial counselors in our emergency departments, in our hospital inpatient units, and at our cancer center. To further summarize our financial assistance, we:
- Provided over $85 million in financial assistance to 240,000 patients in 2024 alone, resulting in a partial or full discount to their balances.
- Provide financial assistance for about 20,000 patients per month.
- Connect patients to financial assistance programs, both within and outside our organization.
- Help our patients apply for financial assistance programs.
- Offer financial counseling to patients to explore whether they qualify for coverage like Medicaid, Medicare, or Marketplace subsidies.
- Work with patients to create payment plans personalized to their unique circumstances.
- Aim to provide financial assistance to qualified patients who lack financial means.
"We communicate about these resources clearly and in a number of ways, including paper billing statements, email, text message, MyChart message and more. Beyond that, we encourage our patients to either call (313) 874-7800 or visit www.henryford.com/visitors/billing/financial-assistance to learn more about the vast resources at their fingertips, or go to MyChart to complete an online financial assistance application."
Laura Pintor's health has since improved. It's been over a year, and the family is still paying medical bills. The family is within the 400% eligibility.
They're baffled to know…they may have been able to get help.
"It was such a shock. It was like right after Christmas. And I'm like, 'Oh boy, Merry Christmas,'" Laura Pintor said.
The family is within the 400% eligibility. They're baffled to know they may have been able to get help.
