Little OKs bill targeting predatory medical debt collectors
The Associated Press | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 5 years, 3 months AGO
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho Gov. Brad Little on Tuesday signed into law a bill creating transparency in medical bills sent to former patients and to rein in predatory medical debt collectors.
The bill signed by the Republican governor caps attorney fees charged to former patients at $350 for those who do not contest their bills in court and $750 for those who do.
It also sets a 45-day deadline for medical facilities to get bills to a patient's insurance provider. Opponents say the measure would increase healthcare costs for people who pay their bills.
Backers say the measure closes loopholes in the law that allowed the exploitation of Idahoans.
The bill passed the Senate 32-1 and House 49-20.
ARTICLES BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Latest: US helped family escape Afghanistan overland
WASHINGTON — The United States is confirming for the first time that it has helped a U.S. citizen and family members to escape Afghanistan through an overland route to a neighboring country.
The Latest: US helped family escape Afghanistan overland
WASHINGTON — The United States is confirming for the first time that it has helped a U.S. citizen and family members to escape Afghanistan through an overland route to a neighboring country.
The Latest: Top Republican says Taliban holding Americans
WASHINGTON — The top Republican on the House Foreign Affairs Committee says some Americans who have been trying to get out of Afghanistan since the U.S. military left are sitting in airplanes at an airport ready to leave but the Taliban are not letting them take off.