Senator Roger Marshall's medical practice sued 700 patients

U.S. Senator Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) filed debt-collection lawsuits against more than 700 former patients during his 25-year career as an obstetrician-gynecologist, according to a report based on Kansas court records. The legal actions, involving his practice or Heartland Regional OBGYN, resulted in the arrest of 81 individuals after they missed court appearances.

Court records indicate the collection efforts included wage and bank account garnishments, as well as an 18 percent annual interest rate applied to unpaid balances. Lawsuits involved amounts ranging from $101 to several thousand dollars. Some patients reported being jailed or facing legal consequences while pregnant or following emergency procedures.

A spokeswoman for Marshall stated that judges, not doctors, issue arrest warrants for missed court dates. She defended the practices, noting that the medical practice provided care regardless of a patient's ability to pay and utilized standard billing and collection procedures common to rural medical practices in Kansas.