Posted on 10/14/2019 3:44:07 PM PDT by NotchJohnson
South Carolina hospitals are using a loophole in state law to scoop millions of dollars a year from the pockets of the poorest of patients. It mostly takes place outside the courts and the public eye.
A law originally written to help state and local governments collect debts is being used to seize tax refunds from people with past-due medical bills. The S.C. Department of Revenue does the legwork, and the cash flows straight into the coffers of some of the regions largest health care companies.
The payoff is huge.
Together, health organizations took at least $92.9 million in more than 172,000 seizures to pay off past-due medical bills in 2017. The state and a private lobbying group for South Carolinas counties make millions more helping hospitals collect these debts from peoples tax refunds. Patients foot the bill for that work, with as much as a $50 fee tacked onto their debt, giving both groups a boost.
(Excerpt) Read more at postandcourier.com ...
If you'd like to be on or off the South Carolina ping list, just click Private Reply below and drop me a FReepmail.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.