Medical Debt—Defending Your Clients Against Medical Bills and Aggressive Collection Actions (2026)

Medical debt is the wild west of debt collection. Every debt collector wants in on it and consumer attorneys often find themselves without the tools to fight back.  This seminar follows a spring 2024 webinar on medical debt defense and will give you more tools so that you can both vigorously defend against medical debt collection as well as go on the offensive.

This webinar will appeal to both private practitioners and legal service attorneys who need defenses against medical claims and want to explore counterclaims that can range from single counterclaims to possible class actions.

Please note that participants will be asked to share their stories and experiences as well during this webinar. Following the webinar will be an hour-long time for discussion and extended Q and A. This webinar is free to the entire community. Non-members need to email [email protected] to be verified to attend the webinar.

What You Will Learn

• Which affirmative defenses will give you a fighting chance, open up discovery even where a counterclaim isn’t available, and increase your standing with regards to settlement.
• How to use FDCPA and UDAP statutes to challenge the fairness of the hospital’s billing practice and the debt collector’s actions.
• What discovery items you should request and how they will help you defend and prosecute cases.
• Examples of claims, settlement amounts, costs to litigate on all these cases.
• Tips about medical debt negotiations in a nonlegal setting, including charity care and payment plans.

Speakers

Keith Hagan practices consumer law as a partner at Hofer Hagan LLP, in Indianapolis, Indiana. He has been on the front line of defending medical debt cases since 2018.

Berneta L. Haynes is a senior attorney who focuses on consumer energy policy and medical debt. At NCLC, she recently authored Protecting Older Adults from Surprise Medical Bills and The Racial Health and Wealth Gap: Impact of Medical Debt on Black Families. She is also a contributing author to the medical debt chapter of NCLC’s Collection Actions practice manual and NCLC’s Surviving Debt consumer guide.