US hospital chain vows to cancel medical debt for thousands of patients

North Carolina-based Advocate Health takes action amid scrutiny of its aggressive debt collection methods

Advocate Health, the third largest non-profit health system in the country, has announced it will cancel more than 11,500 debt judgments it holds against people who failed to pay medical bills.

The move comes after more than a year of public scrutiny of the hospital conglomerate's aggressive debt collection practices - including news articles by the Guardian and other media outlets and a study by the Duke University School of Law and the state treasurer of North Carolina, where the chain is headquartered.