North Carolina High Court to Hear Case of $14K Hospital Bill

The North Carolina Supreme Court is set to hear the case of a Charlotte man who is fighting a $14,000 hospital bill he calls inflated.

The high court will hear Robert Talford’s argument Monday that a hospital should have to prove at a trial that it is reasonable to charge up to 24 times more than a local pharmacy for medications.

The North Carolina Hospital Association and big hospital groups based in Durham, Asheville, Greensboro, Winston-Salem and Raleigh want the court to rule against Talford and let them collect without a trial.

Lawyers for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Hospital Authority say comparing the cost of drugs is like complaining that bottled water costs $6 at a Carolina Panthers football game and 99 cents at a grocery store.