4@
IF
IF YOU'VE
IF YOU'VE BE EN FOLLOWING THE PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES, YOU KNOW
THE EXPLODING COSTS OF HEALTH
CARE HAS
CARE HAS
TAKEN
TAKEN CENTER STAGE. THOSE COSTS ARE GETTING WORSE FOR
EVEN THE INSURED.
HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS TRYING TO
GET PAID
OFTEN TURN TO ACTUALLY SUING
PATIENTS FOR PAYMENT.
FOCUS INVESTIGATOR JOHN CHARLTON
GIVES
GIVES
GIVES US
GIVES US THE CURRENT DIAGNOSIS IN HIS
REPORT, DR. DEBT.4@
4@
4@ A
4@ A MONDAY4@ ROUTINE...ALWAYS TWIE
A MONTH.4@
A MONTH.4@ JONI KOILE GETS IN... ...HER TOYOTA HYBRID...FOR4@
ANOTHER "DOSE" OF REALITY.
I
I HAVE
I HAVE TO
I HAVE TO GET MY IRON INFUSION TODAY. SURVIVING COLON CANCER, THEN A
BRAIN
TUMOR, AND NOW DEALING WITH
CROH4@N'S
DISEASE, THE 58-YEAR OLD'S
BLOOD...4@
GET IRON TO KEEP ME GOING.
...NEEDS A BOOST...BECAUSE SHE'@
4@
ANEMIC.
4@ ANEMIC.
ANEMIC.
IT'S
IT'S JUST
IT'S JUST PART OF LIFE NOW.4@ KOILE CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT THE BAPTIST
HEALTH CANCER CENTER...
AND SHE'S STILL A PATIENT HERE
DESPITE THE FACT THAT BAPTIST4@
HEALTH SUED HER.
4@DEFENDANT JONI KOILE.
NOT HAVING ENTERED4@ AN
APPEARANCE.
JEFFERSON COUNTY DISTRICT COURT
ISSUED A DEFAULT JUDGEMENT.
IN THE AMOUNT OF $2129.70. IN CHARGE OF COLLECTING WAS
ATTORNEY BRIAN KATZ OUT OF4@
PADUCAH.
IN FACT, THE PERSONAL INJURY
ATTORNEY IS LINKED TO MANY OF
BAPTIST
BAPTIST HEALTH'S LAWSUITS. WE REACHED OUT FOR COMMENT, BUT
HAVEN'T4@
HAVEN'T4@
HAVEN'T4@ HEARD BACK. TRIED TO GET THEM TO LET ME PAY
PAYMENTS.
PAYMENTS.
THE
THE MEDICAL BILLS PILED UP BECAUSE LIFE HAPPENED. KOILE SAYS AFTER 20- YEARS WITH
SNYDER,
SNYDER,
SNYDER, THE COMPANY CUT HER WELL-PAYING
JOB.4@
JOB.4@
JOB.4@ I
JOB.4@ I WORK ABOUT 65 TO 70 HOURS A WEEK4@
NOW.
WEEK4@ NOW. MORE HOURS, A LOT LESS PAY TO4@
COVER
WHAT'S OWED AFTER INSURANCE.
MY PART IS BETWEEN $200 AND
$800.4@
$800.4@ PER MONTH. AND IN HER CONDITION, IT'S A4@
CHRONIC
PROBLEM...
CHRONIC PROBLEM... PAYING IS REALLY JUST A BAND-AID
ON
ON HER
ON HER MEDICAL DEBT... I HAD TO FINALLY PUT IT ON A CREDIT4@ CARD TO GET THEM TO LEE
ME ALONE.
ME ALONE.
ME ALONE. A SEARCH THIS MONTH OF COURT RECORDS, JUST IN JEFFERSON4@
COUNTY ALONE, SHOWS
230 ACTIVE CASES OF BAPTIST
HEALTH, AS4@
THE PLAINTIFF, SUING PATIENTS
FOR
PAYMENT.
FOR PAYMENT. THE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM PROVIDED4@
FOCUS WITH ITS 7-STEP BILLING
PROCESS,
INCLUDING STATEMENT REMINDERS AS
WELL AS
WELL AS
WELL AS A
WELL AS A REMINDER AFTER 90- DAYS THAT FINANCIAL
ASSISTANCE IS AVAILABLE, BUT AT
4@
THAT
4@ THAT
4@ THAT POINT IT'S ON THE PATIENT TO
CALL4@
BEFORE THE BILL GOES TO4@
COLLECTIONS.
COLLECTIONS.
BAPTIST
BAPTIST HEALTH DECLINED AN INTERVIEW ON CAMERA, BUT SENT OVER A VIDEO
STATEMENT...
LAST YEAR ALONE BAPTIST HEALTH
PROVIDED ALMOST $40 MILLION
DOLLARS IN ASSISTANCE TO OUR4@
PATIENTS.
A LOT OF IT'S GOING NOW 4@IS NOT
SO MUCH4@
IS THE UNINSURED, IT'S THE
UNDER-
INSURED.
UNDER- INSURED. PLANS WITH HIGH DEDUCTIBLES,
BIGGER
CO-PAYS ARE GROWING.
BILLING MORE THAN TWO-AND-A-HALF
4@
BILLION DOLLARS ANNUALLY,
NORTON
HEALTHCARE SAYS IT WRITES OFF ON
AVERAGE ABOUT 80- MILLION OF
THAT.4@ HAVE YOU GUYS EVER SUED TO GET
MONEY4@
BACK? ONLY AS A LAST RESORT.
IN ONLY ABOUT 1% OF THE CASES DO
WE
WE
WE EVER
WE EVER END UP AND SUE. AND ACCORDING TO JEFFERSON
COUNTY
COURT RECORDS, NORTON HAS JUST
TWO
ACTIVE CASES, AND WE COULDN'T
FIND ANY FOR UOFL HEALTH WHICH
NOW INCLUDES4@
KENTUCKY ONE.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO PEOPLE
THAT
SAY, YOU'RE SUING THEM FOR
MEDICAL
DEBT COLLECTION, THAT'S
HEARTLESS? WELL, I WOULD SAY THE
4@
OPPOSITE, WE'RE
DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN TO MAKE
4@
SURE THEY DON'T GET TO THAT4@4@
POINT.
POINT.
NO
NO BILL
NO BILL WOULD BE EVEN BETTER. WE'RE NOW UP TO 500,000 PEOPLE THAT4@
WE'VE HELPED.
TELLING US VIA SKYPE, CRAIG
ANTICO IS IN THE
BUSINESS OF BUYING DEBT...
I'M THE CO-FOUNDER OF RIP
4@
4@ MEDICAL DEBT. ...THEN PUTTING IT TO REST.4@
IT ADDS UP TO OVER $1 BILLION.
ANTICO SAYS IT'S ALL POSSIBLE
BECAUSE OF GENEROUS DONATIONS TO
4@
HIS NON-PROFIT.
$10 TO ABOLISH A THOUSAND, IF
YOU
HAVE 10,000, YOU ABOLISH A4@
MILLION.
ANTICO SAYS APPALACHIA,
STRETCHING THROUGH EASTERN
KENTUCKY,4@
HAS "MOUNTAINS" OF MEDICAL DEBT.
4@
EVEN IN JEFFERSON COUNTY, THE
DIAGNOSIS IS BAD.
ACCORDING TO AN UPDATED STUDY BY
4@
THE
4@ THE
4@ THE URBAN INSTITUTE, 22- PERCENT OF
JEFFERSON 4@COUNTY'S POPULATION
4@
4@ HAS
4@ HAS MEDICAL DEBT IN COLLECTIONS.
YOU GUYS ARE ONE OF THE WORST
FOR HAVING MEDICAL DEBT ON YOUR 4@
CRED4@IT REPORT.4@
THAT'S LIFE FOR JONI KOILE...
GOOD FOR ANOTHER WEEK.
A BURDEN SHE WILL ALWAYS
BEAR...AS LONG AS SHE LIVES.
YOU EITHER DIE OR YOU GET BURIED
4@
IN
4@ IN
4@ IN BILLS, SO, AND I'M NOT GOING TO
DIE,
DIE,
DIE, SO
DIE, SO I'M GOING TO BE HAVING BILLS
THE
THE
THE REST
THE REST OF MY LIFE, OR BEING SUED THE REST OF MY LIFE I GUESS.
CRAIG ANTICO OF RIP MEDICAL DEBT
4@
SAYS THEIR RESEARCH SHOWED4@
BETWEEN
BETWEEN
4@
4@ 1-AND-A-HALF AND 2% OF THE4@ WORKFORCE HAVE THEIR WAGES
GARNISHED TO PAY OFF MEDICAL
DEBT, BEFORE IT GETS TO THAT
POINT,
POINT, PATIENTS HAVE OPTIONS WITH THEIR HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS
4@TO EITHER SET UP A PAYMENT PLN
OR EVEN GET MUCH OF THEIR DEBT4@
WIPED CLEAN, GO TO WHAS11.COM FOR MORE ON THE WAYS TO GET
RELIEF, FOR FOCUS, I'M JOHN
CHARLTON.4@4@
CHARLTON.4@4@
4@4@