One of the nation's largest hospital owners, Tenet Health Care Corporation, is facing allegations of discrimination. Consejo de Latinos Unidos, a group representing Hispanic patients in California, has filed suit against the health care giant. The complaint alleges Tenet overbilled Latinos and then collected inflated reimbursement payments from the Disproportionate Share Reimbursement program, a government-run program designed to refund hospitals for costs accrued by patients who cannot pay.

The lawsuit claims Latino patients were charged nearly seven times more than members of Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs). Tenet owns 111 hospitals in seventeen states.