Can TikTok Cancel Your Hospital Bills?
Back in January 2021, a question started trending on TikTok - what is something you've learned that feels illegal to know? Some answers are funny, but don't make sense. One particular video caught our attention...
Jared Walker was a manager at a trampoline park in Oregon. He started learning about healthcare laws to help families with medical bill issues. One day, he learned about the charity care laws, which mandate non-profit hospitals forgive debts or significantly reduce bills for people on a limited income. Jared began helping families to apply for these charity cares, and then he put those instructions on TikTok.
The video received millions of views and thousands of messages. It turns out that some hospitals still charge patients with limited income full bills, even if they qualify for charity care. Jared and more volunteers are helping even more people with charity care applications now.