UNINSURED PATIENTS PAY MORE THAN INSURED AT MANY HOSPITALS

The lawyers who last year forced two hospital corporations to stop charging uninsured patients exorbitant prices for medical care are now taking on California's largest group of emergency room doctors. A class-action lawsuit filed this week on behalf of two Contra Costa County women claims the doctors charged the women "unfair, unreasonable and inflated" prices - and ruined their credit to boot.

The lawsuit, filed in Alameda County Superior Court, could affect the amount emergency room doctors bill uninsured patients at 55 hospitals in California, including three in San Jose. "This is an issue we've heard lots of complaints about," said Anthony Wright of Health Access, a Sacramento-based advocacy group.

"Whether you're a hospital or a doctor, you can't price gouge," said Kelly Dermody of Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP, the San Francisco law firm that brought a well-publicized hospital overcharging case against hospital conglomerates Sutter Health and CHW. In recent years, consumer advocates, the courts and lawmakers have pressured the nation's hospitals to stop charging uninsured patients so-called "list prices." They too have objected to aggressive collections policies that have caused some patients to lose their homes. Insured patients typically pay a portion of discounted rates negotiated by their health plans, while California's nearly 7 million uninsured residents face the full fare.