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The hearing also may serve as a portent of future changes, as Franken, who has in the past sponsored legislation tightening restrictions on collections practices, has promised that the hearing represented only a beginning and that he would “look into whether we can do more to strengthen our federal laws” regarding patient debt and collections practices.
While it might be too early to pass final judgment on the cost-controlling features of the Affordable Care Act, there is another industry with costs skyrocketing beyond healthcare expenses, which until now, seems to have remained just below the radar: higher education.
The number of lawsuits filed against accounts receivable management firms claiming violations of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) fell dramatically in the first half of May after an uptick in the last 15 days of April.
Student loan debt isn’t just the responsibility of the recently graduated high-school senior hoping to earn that degree in comparative woodworking — as more colleges are discovering.
The U.S. Supreme Court Tuesday said that it would hear a case where a debt collection agency was awarded costs after prevailing in an FDCPA case. The Court will consider whether a defendant in an FDCPA case is entitled to costs should they win the case, even if the case was not initially brought by the plaintiff in bad faith or for the purposes of harassment.
But by accepting only that narrow issue, the Supreme Court may have dealt a blow to certain violation claims concerning debt collection communications. An appeals court ruled strongly on what constitutes a communication and that decision will stand, throwing another wrinkle into the ongoing Foti saga.
DECA Financial services offers a free analysis of healthcare provider organizations’ medical portfolios that serves as an educational tool for how to sharpen collection strategies and ultimately increase cash flow.
BillingTree announced the appointment of David Roberts as President and Chief Executive Officer. Former President & Chairman Scott McCollum will continue as BillingTree’s Chairman of the Board, following five years of leading the company’s daily operations and delivering record growth, now processing payments in excess of $2.5 billion annually. David Robert’s charge is to lead the [...]
SquareTwo Financial, a leader in the $100 billion asset recovery and management industry, today announced the launch of a new Partner in Florida called Federated Law Group, located in Palm Beach County.
The primary reasons for these challenges have also been well documented – uncontrollable increase in the cost of a college education; access to “cheap” public student loan financing, and even private loan options; ignorance of students and their parents as to the long-term financial implications of taking on large student loan debts; and a troubled economy with a stubbornly high unemployment rate particularly for recent college graduates and college drop-outs.
U.S. Senator Al Franken (D-Minn.) over the weekend announced he will chair a U.S. Senate field hearing Wednesday at the Minnesota State Capitol to examine if current federal laws effectively protect patients’ access to care and privacy.