Kansas Senator Aggressively Sued Patients Over Medical Debt

Roger Marshall's path to the US Senate ran through a small Kansas OB-GYN practice that took an unusually aggressive approach to unpaid medical bills, writes Sarah Kliff in a New York Times deep-dive. As an obstetrician, the man known as "Doc Marshall" or his practice sued more than 700 patients over debts as low as $101; records show at least 81 of those cases ended with patients being arrested after they missed court dates. His lawyers also pushed for wage and bank garnishments and tacked on 18% annual interest, often in a rural county where poverty and lack of insurance are common.

Many of those sued were low-income new mothers or patients recovering from miscarriages or emergency surgeries, reports Kliff. Some say they never saw summonses; others describe having to choose between medical bills and basic expenses. "I had every intention to pay, I was just struggling," says one woman sued over a $129 bill. Marshall's spokesperson says he treated patients regardless of their ability to pay and notes that judges, not doctors, issue warrants. Experts quoted by the Times say the volume and intensity of the collection tactics make Marshall an outlier. Marshall, a Republican, is seeking reelection to a second term this November. Read the investigation, including patient stories and court documents, at the Times.