People with health insurance may now represent the majority of debtors American hospitals struggle to collect from, according to medical billing analysts.

This marks a sea change from just a few years ago, when people with health insurance represented only about one in 10 bills hospitals considered “bad debt”, analysts said.

“We always used to consider bad debt, especially bad debt write-offs from a hospital perspective, those [patients] that have the ability to pay but don’t,” said Colleen Hall, senior vice-president for Kodiak Solutions, a billing, accounting and consulting firm that works closely with hospitals and performed the analysis.

“Now, it’s not as if these patients across the board are even able to pay, because [out-of-pocket costs are] such an astronomical amount related to what their general income might be.”

  • chaogomu@kbin.social
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    6 months ago

    Several states have had their election laws ruled unconstitutional due to partisan gerrymandering. Republicans in several states said to the courts, “fuck you, we’re using the unconstitutional maps”. If those maps had been thrown out, 2022 would have seen the Democrats take the House.

    Instead we had to sit and watch as Republicans have fucked around and hindered any attempts at actually running a functional government.

    • TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      Theres always an excuse.

      Somehow the Republicans are the most capable, strategic, smart, and competent players to be able to accomplish these goals.

      Meanwhile Democratic strategy amounts to:

      sit and watch

      Pretending that your current and previously elected Democratic officials aren’t a major reason why things are the way that they are is to also give Republicans credit for being masters of strategy and craft.

      Neither of those things is true.

      • chaogomu@kbin.social
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        6 months ago

        Direct action will only spark a civil war.

        One is likely already coming, but the side that kicks it off will be seen as the aggressor, and will likely receive less aid from the military. And whoever holds the military will be the winner.

        Trump already sits in an odd place with the military. He’s liked far more than he should be among the rank and file, but also hated by the officers.

        Don’t get me wrong, a lot of the rank and file hate Trump as well. Dude has earned that hate. The fucker skipped the 100 anniversary of Armistice Day because of a light rain.

        Anyway, all we can do is follow the rule of law as meticulously as possible. That means a bunch of legal wrangling, and getting people to actually vote.

        Here’s the thing, we don’t have to do it forever, the republican party is disintegrating. The in-fighting and lack of anything approaching an idea, that shit, wears on their base.

        If Trump loses again, the republican party will not survive it.

        That’s not to say that conservatism will die. Far from it, but the current batch of them will have to scramble to reinvent themselves, and during that scramble, the left will actually be able to get shit done. probably.

        • TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world
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          6 months ago

          Direct action will only spark a civil war.

          This statement directly contradicts almost all of the progress that has been made in this country since its foundation.

          Practically nothing has come as a result of “voting correctly” and almost everything we have can be attributed directly to direct action campaigns.

          The 8 hour work day, then end of slavery, womens right to vote, social welfare programs, gay rights, rights for blacks in the south.

          All a result of direct action. If anything the “incrementalism” has proved to be the exact opposite.

          • chaogomu@kbin.social
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            6 months ago

            I’m sorry, I meant direct action by say, Biden.

            If the Democrats were to follow the Republican playbook, and start fighting dirty.

            That would kick off the civil war, and in the bloodiest way possible. But make no mistake, the Republicans will try to start the war anyway. When they do it, the military will almost certainly not be on their side.

            That’s why Tuberville was blocking military promotions. The only reason that shit stopped was because Trump is mostl likely not going to win again. Trump is too far gone into his own toxic bullshit. He has die hard fans, but has been scaring away the more moderate side of the republican party.

            • TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world
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              6 months ago

              That would kick off the civil war, and in the bloodiest way possible. But make no mistake, the Republicans will try to start the war anyway. When they do it, the military will almost certainly not be on their side.

              Thank you for the clarification. I also agree with your third point, and to some extent, this might be the Dems saving grace, being that the Republicans cant seem to protect themselves from themselves.