A federal appeals court has rejected a class action suit brought by uninsured hospital patients who claimed that the practice of charging them significantly higher rates than insured patients or those covered under Medicare and Medicaid is discriminatory and violates consumer protection laws.
In its 21-page opinion in DiCarlo v. St. Mary’s Hospital, a unanimous three-judge panel of the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals took the rare step of adopting the lower court’s opinion as its own.