There’s no shortage of reasons why Republican Sen. Roger Marshall has been struggling in his re-election bid in Kansas. From questions about his residency to an unpaid bakery bill, from his ongoing campaign-finance controversy to the strength of the Rev. Adam Hamilton’s Democratic candidacy, the incumbent senator with a thin record is already trailing in several recent polls.

But arguably the turning point in the Kansas race came in early September when Kansans learned that Marshall garnished paychecks and pushed arrest warrants when his patients couldn’t afford their medical bills during his time as a physician in private practice. There’s ample evidence to suggest local voters heard about the story and considered it important.

This, as much as anything else, stuck. Indeed, it was around that point when polls started showing Hamilton ahead, especially after the Democratic campaign seized on the issue in its advertising.

Over the weekend, The Kansas City Star added some fresh details to a story the senator would probably prefer that his constituents forget:

While facing sharp criticism over the last month for his debt collection practices as an OB-GYN in Great Bend, U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall has forcefully defended himself, saying his methods were “very common.”

But an analysis of medical debt lawsuits in the Kansas court system found that although it’s not uncommon for hospitals and clinics across the state to sue patients, the 18% annual interest rate Marshall applied to unpaid bills was by far the highest of the roughly 150 medical practices whose public records were reviewed by The Star.

The Star’s report, which hasn’t been independently verified by MS NOW, added that in reviewing thousands of court documents, the newspaper “found no other medical providers that charged annual interest at 18% or any other specified rate above 12%.”

Before anyone blames Marshall’s attorneys for the interest rate, the Star talked to the lawyer who represented the Kansas Republican, and he said it was Marshall’s office that was responsible for determining how much interest to charge patients on unpaid bills.

The newspaper gave the senator and his campaign team multiple opportunities over a two-week period to respond to questions about the story. They declined.

Given the circumstances, that’s not too surprising, but the lack of comment probably won’t affect voters’ likely interest in the news.

The post In Kansas, the interest rate Roger Marshall charged on medical bills makes a bad story worse appeared first on MS NOW.

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From MS Now.