'This is crazy': Colorado hospital giant sues patients on a daily basis, analysis finds, including some who thought they had no debt — what to do if this happens to you

"This is crazy because I just finished paying off all of the debt," Ayla, who didn't want to use her last name, told 9NEWS in a story published Dec. 18. "I worked so hard to continue to pay that bill off."

Here's the story behind the numerous lawsuits, and what patients can do if they face legal action to pay medical debt.

Colorado hospital system lawsuits

The broadcaster's analysis comes after state legislation that went into effect in early August forced hospital systems to list their names on lawsuits seeking to collect debt owed to them. Previously, 9NEWS reported that UCHealth had for years sued patients using the names of its third-party debt collectors.

Now that it's become easier to identify the entities behind these lawsuits, 9NEWS searched court documents between Aug. 8 and Dec. 17, 2024, and says it found collections suits from the following health-care providers:

• UCHealth: 351
• Children's Hospital: 263
• National Jewish Health: 31

No other large hospital system in Colorado sued patients using its name during this period, per 9NEWS.

The broadcaster says it reached out to dozens of patients facing lawsuits, and while it cannot be confirmed how many simply didn't want to pay their bill, some claim they weren't aware they had any debt at all and only found out when they were served.

After the story was broadcast, UCHealth issued the following statement to 9NEWS: "UCHealth offers extensive financial assistance for our patients, and we ask patients to partner with us and respond to our billing teams so we can provide this help. Our billing policies require numerous notifications to patients including both letters and phone calls before an account is transferred to collections, and our collections agencies are again required to contact the patient numerous times before legal options are considered."