EAST LOS ANGELES, CA—Embattled not-for-profit hospital giant Catholic Healthcare West (CHW) was accused of “codifying economic racism and blatantly discriminating against uninsured Latinos” after it was uncovered that CHW will only offer discounted pricing to uninsured patients who live in specific Zip codes in California, Arizona and Nevada while excluding residents of East Los Angeles of the 90022 and 90023 Zip Codes, according to public documents filed in California state court.

“CHW has created another ridiculous barrier so uninsured patients will be stuck paying four or five times more than what an insurance company would pay for the exact same care,” said K.B. Forbes, Executive Director of the Consejo de Latinos Unidos, a national advocacy group that assists and educates uninsured patients. “CHW has indeed created a full-proof way to offer a discount program for no one.”

Forbes noted, “If an uninsured Latino patient visiting from East L.A. is watching the L.A. Clippers at the Staples Center and ends up at the nearest hospital, California Hospital Medical Center—a CHW facility—they will be price gouged. Mind you that East L.A. is only five miles away. How disgraceful!”

The Consejo has called on CHW to scrap the list of 478 Zip Codes that would be “codifying economic racism and blatantly discriminating against uninsured Latinos.” East Los Angeles is heavily Latino and one in three Latinos is uninsured.

CHW has been under fire for its abusive tactics against the uninsured .According to the Los Angeles Times:

“Mirna Estupinian, 35, said she received a $20,296.50 bill after staying in the [CHW] hospital for two days with gastritis, a severe stomach problem. But the hospital would have only billed the ‘average private insurer’ $5,600 for the same medical care, or billed Medicare $3,994, according to the lawsuit. Medicare is the federal healthcare program for the elderly. ‘I'm sick in my nerves’ from receiving such a bill, said Estupinian…. Fearing that a bad credit report would mar her chances to buy a home in Rialto, Estupinian recently took out a loan to pay the bill in full after the hospital denied financial assistance.”