While Oklahoma hospitals largely stopped suing patients for medical debt when April's rise in COVID-19 cases caused state officials to temporarily close the courts, many of the lawsuits have resumed and continue despite the public health emergency.
Since Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt declared a statewide health emergency April 2, 1,178 lawsuits seeking unpaid medical bills have been filed against patients, according to Oklahoma Watch. In many cases, hospitals are seeking between a few hundred dollars and more than $10,000 for services that were rendered in 2019 or earlier.
Oklahoma Watch has been tracking hospitals that have filed lawsuits against patients who have unpaid medical bills. Since July 2019, the publication has recorded 5,841 lawsuits filed against patients.
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