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A judge has approved a class-action settlement involving BJC HealthCare and uninsured patients who alleged that the area’s largest hospital system overcharged them.

The settlement was reached in March, but a few plaintiffs objected, saying the settlement was insufficient. Judge David L. Dowd approved the settlement on Friday. BJC provided a copy of the judge’s order to the Post-Dispatch today.

Under the settlement, uninsured patients who were treated at a BJC hospital since Jan. 1, 1999, and paid some or all of the bill may be eligible for a partial refund or reduction in their bill.

Class members will be notified of their right to submit a claim for a refund. The discounts will apply to uninsured patients receiving treatment until at least 2012.
The suit was one in a string filed across the nation in 2004 on behalf of patients without insurance who alleged that they were charged two to three times as much for treatment as patients with insurance cash advance. In 2007, the local lawsuit became the first of those filed in 2004 to receive class-action status.

Under the settlement, which was announced in March, all uninsured patients visiting a BJC hospital for inpatient or outpatient hospital services will receive the 25 percent "self-pay" discount. Those able to pay within 30 days will receive an additional 5 percent discount.

Patients in families earning less than 400 percent of the federal poverty level, or about $84,800 for a family of four, will continue to be eligible for additional "charity care" discounts. Patients in families earning less than 200 percent of the poverty level, or about $42,400 for a family of four, will receive care free of charge.

mjfeldstein@post-dispatch.com | 314-340-8209

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