Thousands of former patients at Spokane area hospitals will have medical debts erased automatically after a major legal settlement with a for-profit hospital chain.

Starting Nov. 1, former patients covered by the settlement will receive debt relief letters with instructions for contacting the Northwest Justice Project for a free consultation and possible assistance if needed.

NJP Attorney Meredith Bruch spoke at a Yakima anti-fraud fair and warned people about several types of scams, including scammers who call and fraudulently claim you owe a debt. You need to ask for written proof of the debt!

Protect yourself from abusive debt collection practices. NJP works to end abusive debt collection practices across Washington.

Watch NJP's video to find out how you can get help with medical debt.

Attorney General Bob Ferguson today announced that, as a result of his lawsuit, St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma and seven other CHI Franciscan hospitals will forgive as much as $20 million in debt, pay $2.22 million in refunds, pay the Attorney General’s Office $2.46 million, and rehabilitate the credit of thousands of patients who […]

Hundreds lined up at the Kitsap County Courthouse for “LFO Reconsideration Day” to meet with an attorney and make their case to a judge why their debt should be forgiven.

Washington state has among the most punishing laws in the country for people in debt, allowing collection companies to take advantage of high interest rates and of courts that have made it easy to sue and garnish wages.

Debt collection efforts around the United States rely heavily on litigation to collect past due debt. The ease of obtaining default judgments and garnishment orders has led debt buyers to use the courts as a critical tool for extracting payments from consumers, despite the lack of documentation showing that the consumer actually owes the amount claimed.

Debt collection efforts around the United States rely heavily on litigation to collect past due debt. The ease of obtaining default judgments and garnishment orders has led debt buyers to use the courts as a critical tool for extracting payments from consumers, despite the lack of documentation showing that the consumer actually owes the amount claimed.