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HOSPITAL DEBT COLLECTIONS for future reference
Hospitals get more proactive about bill collection as patients’ ability to pay deteriorates
Patients’ ability to pay medical bills is declining as their out-of-pocket costs rise under high-deductible health plans, according to a report released Tuesday by the credit rating firm TransUnion.
In the first quarter of 2016, consumers had $1,720 in revolving credit to cover every $100 in medical costs, down from $2,250 in revolving credit to cover those costs in the first quarter of 2015, according to TransUnion Healthcare, the company’s healthcare revenue cycle management arm. Patients in the subprime risk tier, the highest-risk consumers, were in even dicier shape in the first quarter of this year, with just $420 in revolving credit for every $100 in medical costs.
Nearly eight in 10 patients owed more than $500, while 51% owed more than $1,000.
Meanwhile, patients experienced a 13% increase in both deductible and out-of-pocket maximum costs between 2014 and 2015, with the average annual deductible totaling $1,278 and the average annual out-of-pocket costs totaling $3,470, TransUnion found.
“This amplifies the under-insured and uncompensated care issues,†said Jonathan Wiik, principal for revenue cycle management at TransUnion Healthcare, which says it provides services to 1,200 hospitals. “It’s not sustainable, and hospitals have to be proactive in figuring out who can pay and having discussions with those patients early on.â€
With the increase in consumers’ out-of-pocket costs under high-deductible plans, a growing number of hospitals are working aggressively with patients before procedures or before they leave the hospital to work out payment. Many first determine patients’ ability and willingness to pay, and check to see if the patients qualify for charity care or publicly subsidized coverage. TransUnion Healthcare and other revenue cycle firms are helping hospitals implement such policies.
One large health system, Ascension Health, has gone further, waiving deductibles for all patients enrolled in health plans through the Affordable Care Act exchanges who have incomes below 250% of the federal poverty level. It did so because it found that many Ascension patients were drowning in debt related to their high plan deductibles, which was hurting their credit scores. An Ascension spokesman said it cannot also waive copayments or coinsurance amounts due to its contracts with insurers.
But some providers have taken a more hard-nosed collection approach, filing numerous debt collection lawsuits against patients. A St. Louis Post-Dispatch investigation in April found more than 1,000 lawsuits between Dec. 2, 2014 and March 10, 2016 in the St. Louis area stemming from emergency department treatment provided by the Schumacher Clinical Partners medical group at hospitals owned by SSM Health, a Catholic system.
An investigation by ProPublica and NPR found that not-for-profit Deaconess Hospital in Evansville, Ind. filed more than 20,000 collection lawsuits against patients from 2010 through 2015, according to ProPublica’s analysis of state court data. After questioning by ProPublica, Deaconess said last month it was reconsidering its financial assistance policies and would be making changes.
Healthcare affordability under high-deductible plans has become a political issue in the presidential election. Presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton has proposed requiring health plans to cover three sick visits to a doctor a year without applying the deductible; giving insured people a $5,000 per family refundable tax credit for out-of-pocket costs exceeding 5% of income; and barring providers and insurers from charging patients out-of-network bills for services received in an in-network hospital.
Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, has released a seven-point health policy agenda emphasizing market mechanisms to reduce overall healthcare costs, though it doesn’t directly address out-of-pocket costs.
Gerry McCarthy, president of TransUnion Healthcare, said burgeoning out-of-pocket costs put consumers with precarious finances at growing risk of bankruptcy if they experience medical problems. A 2013 report from the price transparency firm Nerdwallet Health estimated that 1.7 million Americans live in households that will declare bankruptcy due to their inability to pay their medical bills.
At the same time, however, consumers have received some protection from having medical debts count against their credit scores. Last year, TransUnion and the two other major credit-reporting companies, Equifax and Experian, signed a settlement agreement with New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman requiring that medical debt not be reported until after a 180-day waiting period. That allows time for any insurance payments to be applied and for consumers to have enough time to work through any disputes and pay up.
The federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau reported in 2014 that 43 million Americans have blemishes on their credit reports because of overdue medical bills, and that medical debts comprise more than half of collection items on credit reports.
Harris Meyer
Harris Meyer is a senior reporter providing news and analysis on a broad range of healthcare topics. He served as managing editor of Modern Healthcare from 2013 to 2015. His more than three decades of journalism experience includes freelance reporting for Health Affairs, Kaiser Health News and other publications; law editor at the Daily Business Review in Miami; staff writer at the New Times alternative weekly in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; senior writer at Hospitals & Health Networks; national correspondent at American Medical News; and health unit researcher at WMAQ-TV News in Chicago. A graduate of Northwestern University, Meyer won the 2000 Gerald Loeb Award for Distinguished Business and Financial Journalism.
THUNDERBOLTS COURIER ARTICLE
EVANSVILLE, Ind. — I’ll take struggling professional sports franchises for $400, Alex.
This team has no coach, no general manager and has produced two of the seven worst seasons in league history.
“What are the Evansville Thunderbolts?â€
This is perhaps the only question I could correctly answer ahead of “Jeopardy!” legend-in-the-making James Holzhauer.
But really, what are the Thunderbolts?
The team has only existed for three years while the non-affiliated Southern Professional Hockey League has been around for 15. Nevertheless, the Thunderbolts tied the third-worst SPHL winning percentage (.268) when they finished a 12-38-6 campaign last month, one-upping their .334 percentage from their inaugural season. That ranks seventh.
No franchise has produced more than one of the other equally bad or worse seasons.
Here’s a tale of the tape for the Thunderbolts so far:
â–º 2016-17: Finished in last place at 14-32-10 while averaging 2,280 fans per game. (The league average was 2,967)
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â–º 2017-18: Made playoffs after going 27-20-9 to finish sixth. Lost quarterfinal series 2-1. Saw an overall uptick in attendance with 2,309 fans on average, but that was still an SPHL worst. (League average: 3,214)
► 2018-19: Placed last again at 12-38-6 to finish one win ahead of the SPHL record low while averaging 2,041 spectators, second-worst in the SPHL. (League average: 3,132)
Since then, general manager Adam Sito was fired April 15 and head coach Ian Moran resigned Wednesday, each after one season at the helm.
For transparency, the Courier & Press has dramatically reduced its coverage of the Thunderbolts. We see a lack of interest from the community and our past coverage didn’t resonate with our readership, judging by website and app traffic on the stories. It’s up to management to make the populace care.
The organization originally signed a five-year lease with Ford Center on March 1, 2016. President Scott Schoenike and whoever else remain inside the front office need to decide what exactly they intend to accomplish because there’s no real accomplishment to hang a helmet on so far.
These next hires are crucial if success is a goal.
Schoenike did not respond to the C&P’s request for comment.
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It’s tough to succeed in non-affiliated hockey — on the ice and at the ticket office. At its core, it’s a developmental league. Ford Center’s venue is first-class, but the weekly salary cap for an 18-player roster is $5,600. Each team’s ability to scout and cultivate talent is the key to gaining a competitive advantage.
Yes, the average salary for an SPHL player is $311 per week. That basically amounts to Indiana’s minimum wage of $7.25 per hour, but players put in more work than your basic 40-hour week at the office.
Evansville finished 11 points behind the second-worst team and was 59 points away from the best club. It wasn’t even close to competing. That’s on leadership. What kind of example is the coach setting by getting arrested on drunken driving charges after a game (they lost), anyway?
(Moran pleaded guilty Jan. 25 to a Class C misdemeanor OWI charge and his license was suspended for 30 days. He was referred to the Drug & Alcohol Deferral Service program and if he completes that, the misdemeanor conviction will be dismissed.)
Should’ve just downloaded Uber or Lyft.
In three years, the Thunderbolts finished dead last twice.
In that other season, they made the playoffs, but the league is set up to have parity with eight of the 10 teams qualifying every season. All momentum evaporated once Jeff Pyle left last summer for a coaching gig in the ECHL, which has a salary cap of $13,000 per week.
When the IceMen, also in the ECHL, departed Evansville in 2016, the Thunderbolts seemingly filled a void. They just never took off after failing to win the first 11 games in club history. They’ve never come close to consistently filling seats in the Ford Center, either.
The Thunderbolts have been the Cleveland Browns of the SPHL, but at least the Browns figured out how to escape being the league laughingstock.
What are the Evansville Thunderbolts?
Contact Courier & Press columnist Chad Lindskog by email, clindskog@gannett.com, or on Twitter: @chadlindskog.
Evansville candidates don’t always ‘shop local’ for services
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EVANSVILLE, Ind. — The word leaped out in a sea of other words explaining where and how Evansville City Council candidate Alex Schmitt spends campaign donations.
Australia. Schmitt paid $119.40 to Sydney-based graphic design company Canva for help, he said, creating invitations to a fundraising event.
Canva spokeswoman Liz McKenzie said the online platform, started up in 2013, is free for anyone to use unless they buy one of the company’s images or fonts or upgrade to “Canva Pro” services. It requires no design skills and is used by political parties and candidates all over the world, McKenzie said.
“You definitely should go on and give it a go,” she by phone while visiting San Francisco.
No other City Council candidate reported buying campaign services from a company on the other side of the world, but Schmitt wasn’t the only one who didn’t always “shop local” in this year’s first quarter.
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The candidates — including Schmitt, a Republican seeking one of three at-large seats — did turn mostly to local vendors for such services as yard signs, mailers and printing. They reported making exceptions for out-of-town companies run by friends, companies with which they have longstanding relationships or companies that simply offered lower prices.
But that wasn’t always the case.
Those professionally produced mailers Democrat Kaitlin Moore Morley sent out during the spring primary campaign? Moore Morley reported paying $3,412 as of April 3 to Wildfire Contact LLC for them. The direct mail consulting firm has offices in Washington, D.C., Chicago and Des Moines, Iowa, but Moore Morley worked with a team based in Indianapolis.
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Pointing out that she also paid locally based Embrace Marketing and Communications $1,758 for her logo design and video production, Moore Morley said Wildfire Contact was recommended to her at the Indiana Democratic Party’s 2018-19 “Emerging Leaders Project” training program. Moore Morley is one of the party’s three nominees for City Council’s at-large seats.
“It was easy to go with the recommendation this time around simply because I’m so new — and so when you are trying to figure out the ropes, you need to go with the people that are recommended to you by people who have done it before and have been successful,” she said.
Sometimes the reasons for not shopping local are political.
More:Â Evansville’s Winnecke raises cash with no opponent in sight
More:Â Evansville Republicans have their team for at-large council race
More:Â In At-Large Democratic City Council primary, Morley, Ungar, Weaver celebrate victory
Gina Robinson Ungar, another Democratic at-large candidate, reported using local printers in her pre-primary fundraising report. But after filing that report, she said, she turned to Louisville, Kentucky-based Grace By Design for help with her yard signs.
“I believe in supporting union shops,” Robinson Ungar said.
“I don’t know if there’s another local shop that produces union yard signs. (Grace By Design) were just the place that other candidates referred me to,” she said.
Robinson Ungar said using local vendors is a preference, but “it’s not as important as other lines.”
“Certainly buying local, it’s a great way to keep money in the community and support people that we really know,” she said.
Paul Abramson, a Republican running in the 6th Ward, said he spent $742 on pens produced by “The PenGuy” in Jackson, Tennessee, because he has used the small company for private projects and likes its “attention to detail.”
Abramson didn’t think much about whether the company is local.
“I actually didn’t look. (PenGuy CEO Gary Austin) is the guy who I’ve used before,” he said.
Schmitt paid $500 to Indianapolis-based designer Kevin Spahn, he said, because Spahn is a childhood friend and “a great graphic designer.”
Evansville mayors don’t always shop local for campaign services, either. But when a mayor shops, it’s on a much bigger scale. Mayoral campaigns typically cost many times more than campaigns for City Council seats, so the bills are many times bigger.
Mayor Lloyd Winnecke reported spending $242,363 with local marketing and advertising firm AXIOM for TV ads in his first campaign in 2011. That year, Winnecke ran a hotly contested campaign against Democrat Rick Davis. AXIOM did the bulk of his TV advertising.
But for this year’s re-election campaign, with no opponent in sight, the Republican mayor reports spending $14,500 as of April 9 with BrabenderCox, which bills itself as “a full-service political marketing, public affairs, strategic communications and advertising firm” with offices in the Washington, D.C. area, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Albany, New York.
The change, which happened in 2015, was done for strategic reasons, Winnecke said.
“We needed an agency that was really closely aligned with the group that does our polling, and Brabender has a specialty in political advertising,” he said. “We really felt like we needed a specialty ad agency.”
Brabender’s website states that its clients “are extremely diverse, and include presidents, governors, senators, professional sports franchises, fortune 500 companies, entertainment and gaming resorts, non-profit and healthcare organizations.”
Winnecke isn’t the only mayor in modern times to spend big for campaign services in faraway places. In 2007, then-Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel spent $121,575 with Denver, Colorado-based Media Strategies & Research.
Like most of the City Council candidates, Winnecke said shopping local is a goal, if not a mandate.
“We’d like to use local whenever possible, sure,” he said.
Indecent exposure arrest
Evansville Police arrested 29 year old MATTHEW GOGARTY for indecent exposure following an incident at the west side Wal-Mart.
Police were called to the store on April 29 after GOGARTY exposed himself to a female employee. The employee told police GOGARTY was in a car in area where online orders are delivered to your car. When the employee arrived at the car, GOGARTY was exposed from the waist down.Â
The employee walked away from the car and told co-worker. Police were able to track GOGARTY down based on information from the online order. He was arrested on a warrant earlier today.
Eden Ct shooting arrest
Evansville Police arrested 37 year old WILLIE PICKETT on charges connected with the shooting of Donald Burkett (37).
Police were called to the 1000 block of Eden Ct at 6:50pm for a report of shots fired. Officers arrived and found Burkett suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest. He was taken to the hospital for treatment and is expected to survive.Â
Police received information that PICKETT was the suspect and found him in a nearby apartment. He was taken into custody without incident. He was booked into the jail for Battery with a Firearm.Â
Gov. Holcomb Public Schedule for May 28
Below find Gov. Eric J. Holcomb’s public schedule for May 28.
Tuesday, May 28: Indiana Dunes National Park Renaming and Ribbon Cutting Celebration
WHO:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Gov. Holcomb
U.S. Representative Pete Visclosky
U.S. Sen. Todd Young
Gary Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson
Community leaders
WHAT:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â The governor will give remarks.
WHEN:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 10 a.m. CT, Tuesday, May 28
WHERE:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Paul H. Douglas Center for Environmental Education
100 N. Lake St.
Gary, IN 46403
Tuesday, May 28: The Times Media Company and IN Business Magazine’s 12th Annual: Northwest Indiana Business and Industry Hall of Fame Luncheon
WHO:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Gov. Holcomb
U.S. Sen. Todd Young
WHAT:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â The governor will participate in a Q&A.
WHEN:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 11:30 a.m. CT, Tuesday, May 28
WHERE:Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Avalon Manor
3550 E. US Route 30
Merrillville, IN 46410
HATFIELD IS OUR CHOICE FOR VANDERBURGH COUNTY COMMISSIONER
HATFIELD IS OUR CHOICE FOR VANDERBURGH COUNTY COMMISSIONER
The Vanderburgh County Commissioner race has been very interesting to watch. The only bump in the road during the campaign was when a political mailer was sent out by the Hatfield campaign committee addressing a couple of issues about Mr. Duckworth when he was a Vanderburgh County Deputy Sheriff many years ago. This mailer caused a few interesting comments between both candidates. Otherwise, both candidates have been very respectful towards each other. To their credit, they focused on discussing the issues that affect the citizen of Vanderburgh County.
Mike Duckworth has been a political fixture in local Government for over 30 plus years. He is a very personable, dedicated and likable person. He’s also served on numerous local boards, commissions and community organizations. His claim to fame is that he served on the Evansville/Vanderburgh County School Board for over 20 years in numerous leadership positions.  Mike also served in several City and County positions as an appointed Department head.
If Mr. Duckworth is fortunate to be elected to the Vanderburgh County Commission we feel that he has the capacity to govern well if he able to stay away from political partisanship.  If Mr. Duckworth isn’t elected to the Vanderburgh County Commission, we wish him well and thank for his service to the people of Vanderburgh County!
Jeff Hatfield has proven to be one heck of a campaigner. He is well known and is respected by people from both political parties. It’s obvious that Mr. Hatfield isn’t a politician and we like that. His message of economic growth, dedication to the taxpayers, and not to a political party has gotten our attention. We are also very pleased that Mr. Hatfield has openly expressed that he believes in term limits.
Mr. Hatfield has put together an impressive campaign committee. He has very good people and communications skills. His finance committee has done an amazing job in raising money for his campaign. His door-to-door campaign has been very effective.
We also like that Mr. Hatfield because is very conservative and is an extremely successful businessman. Hatfield is not only a man of faith but is also a good family man.
We believe if  Jeff Hatfield is elected to the Vanderburgh County Commission he will govern in a non-partisan manner while using his good business skills and conservative values.
We respectfully recommend that you consider casting your vote for Jeff Hatfield for Vanderburgh County Commissioner on November 6, 2018, general election.
EDITOR’S FOOTNOTE:  Any comments posted in this column do not represent the views or opinions of our advertisers
AG Curtis Hill joins coalition of 52 attorneys general in support of disabled veterans’ student loan forgiveness
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Attorney General Curtis Hill today joined a group of 52 attorneys general in urging the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) to automatically forgive the student loans of veterans who became totally and permanently disabled in connection with their military service. The bipartisan coalition issued its letter as the country prepares to honor fallen troops on Memorial Day. Last year the DOE identified more than 42,000 veterans as eligible for student loan relief due to a service-related total and permanent disability. Fewer than 9,000 of those veterans had applied to have their loans discharged by April 2018 and more than 25,000 had student loans in default. The letter calls on the DOE to develop a process to automatically discharge the student loans of veterans determined by the Department of Veterans Affairs to be eligible for such relief. While the automatic discharge process is in development, the letter proposes the DOE should halt debt collection efforts targeting disabled veterans and clear their credit reports of any negative reporting related to their student loans. “The men and women who have risked their lives to serve our country deserve the best care because of their service,†Attorney General Hill said. “If a veteran is no longer able to pay their student loans due to a disability obtained while in service, they should under no circumstance be required to pay back student loans.†Under federal law, the DOE is required to discharge the federal student loans of veterans determined by the Department of Veterans Affairs to be unemployable (or totally and permanently disabled) due to a service-connected condition. Although the DOE currently requires disabled veterans to take affirmative steps to apply for a loan discharge, those steps are not required by federal law. The attorneys general note that the federal government has taken some steps to make it easier for eligible veterans to secure student loan relief. According to their letter, however, an automatic discharge process that gives individual veterans an opportunity to opt out for personal reasons “would eliminate unnecessary paperwork burdens and ensure that all eligible disabled veterans can receive a discharge.†The letter supporting automatic student loan discharges for totally and permanently disabled veterans received support from enough attorneys general to become formal policy of the National Association of Attorneys General. This designation is reserved for letters and comments supported by at least 36 Attorneys General. “Proposals for automatic discharges with opt-out rights have bipartisan support in Congress and among leading veterans’ advocacy organizations,†the letter states. The veterans groups supporting such proposals have included: Vietnam Veterans for America, Veterans Education Success, The Retired Enlisted Association, High Ground Advocacy, and Ivy League Veterans Council. The letter closes by urging the DOE to “take action to better protect those who once protected the nation. Our veterans deserve nothing less.” |