- Hospitals losing millions from non-paying Mexican Nationals
are now sending collections agents across the border.
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- At University Medical Center, both legal and illegal
immigrants racked up $16 million in unpaid bills last year. A huge debt,
collection agents are now tracking patients down in Mexico to pay. If patients
can't pay, it's written off as charity. If they can afford a payment plan,
but refuse, agents inform them the hospital will turn their name over to
Immigration and Naturalization and Border Patrol agents.This can hurt their
ability to cross back into the U.S. freely. Typically, collection agents
only recover 8% of what hospitals are owed.
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- Marj Sisson, UMC Transition Management, says it's still
worth it. She says, "Even if we net back half a million dollars, half
a million can do a lot."Hospitals in Bisbee and Yuma are also relying
on collection agents to bring back millions of dollars in payments from
Mexico.
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- http://kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=2072050&nav=HMO6P2z3
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