Lawyer for South Carolina party boat shooting victim says no one checked IDs or for weapons
No one was checking IDs or for weapons before a party boat cruise that ended with a shooting that hurt 11 people in South Carolina over Memorial Day weekend, a lawyer for one of the victims said.
Police have announced a second arrest in the May 25 shooting at a dock in Little River, taking a 16-year-old from North Carolina into custody. He and a 19-year-old man from Illinois have been charged with attempted murder, Horry County Police said.
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The Guardian
25 minutes ago
- The Guardian
US medical debt financing groups vie to be ‘solution' to struggling rural hospitals
Medical debt financing and 'patient access' companies are pitching their services to struggling rural hospitals nervous about keeping the doors open, as congressional Republicans consider healthcare cuts that could leave 16 million Americans without insurance. These companies, who act as middlemen between hospitals and patients, told the Guardian they could be a solution for cash-poor hospitals seeking to get paid by 'subprime patients' – especially the low-income, uninsured and unbanked. 'These guys are losing money – it's not sustainable,' said Chris Stenglein, CEO of Curae, about hospitals and healthcare providers. Curae is a company that charges hospitals a fee to find money from all sorts of sources – including patients. 'I believe the next huge bailout is going to be health systems.' Middlemen are nothing new to American healthcare – the Commonwealth Fund found that the administrative complexity of US healthcare accounts for nearly one-third of the sky-high price of care in the US. What is new is the potential market disruption created by Republicans. A bill passed by House Republicans before Memorial Day would cut Medicaid by $804bn and Obamacare, formally known as the Affordable Care Act, by $301bn – changes in the Big Beautiful Bill Act that are expected to result in 16 million newly uninsured Americans by 2034. That disruption represents risk for hospitals and patients, but an opportunity for business. 'This really underscores the through line between Medicaid cuts today equal medical debt tomorrow,' said April Kuehnhoff, a senior attorney at the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC). 'This is really going to harm the most vulnerable patients in the United States.' Hospitals face real risk staying afloat: margins at the nation's roughly 3,000 for non-profit hospitals, about half of all nationally, reached an eight year low in September 2023, according to a recent report from consulting firm Deloitte. Operating margins were just 0.8% on average that year. 'Providers carry more consumer paper than all of your regional banks combined,' said Stenglein, referring to consumer debt. 'In some cases, they got $1.3bn they write off every year.' Stenglein views himself as a good guy in this fight, working in a 'dysfunctional' system to help people like his own parents. His mother worked at the grocery store chain Winn Dixie and his father was a truck driver. Started eight years ago, Curae is now a subsidiary of Atlanticus Holdings Corporation, which owns a portfolio of credit cards for subprime borrowers. The publicly traded corporation is valued at $794m. Firms like Curae offer an appealing pitch to hospitals, finding money from every conceivable source, such as insurers, discount drug programs, philanthropy and patients. But none of these services are free. Like the back end of a credit card, Curae charges hospitals a 'processing fee' of up to 6% for every transaction, Stenglein said in an interview. In written questions, Curae later declined to confirm its processing fee rate, stating: 'Our program management fees are confidential.' Curae also facilitates financing to patients, specializing in payment plans and interest-bearing loans to patients who are 'higher risk/subprime patients, who usually would never get approved for any sort of credit', a spokesperson told the Guardian. Curae is not a lender, but brands loans through the Bank of Missouri. The spokesperson said Curae-branded loans are available to patients who would struggle to 'even be approved for other loans such as for cars'. However, Curae does not refer patients, including the marginalized consumers the company specializes in, to nonprofit hospitals' charity care programs. 'No, the hospital administers that program,' the company said in written questions. Curae-branded loans are 0% interest for patients up to 24 months. Longer term loans cost between 9.9% and 36% based on creditworthiness for longer terms, according to a June 2021 cardholder agreement. Stenglein said only 3-4% of the 'patient population' sign up for interest-bearing loans, which together with payment plans represent about one-fifth of the business. A more recent cardholder agreement provided by Curae showed a long-term APR of 14.99%, although the cardholder agreement represented an approved rate for one individual borrower, and not the full range of possible rates. Some patients have lodged complaints about this system publicly, including an Arizona teacher who said she was 'infuriated' when she was signed up for a credit card without her knowledge. 'I got a hit on my credit saying somebody did a hard look at my credit, and of course I was freaking out, like what is going on?' Kerry Morgan told local TV station AZFamily. 'Come to find out, it was Banner [Health]' a non-profit hospital system that partners with Curae, 'hit my credit and signed me up for a credit card to put the payments on'. Despite fees hospitals must pay on top of already low margins, and the potential for patient complaints, some providers still find the deal enticing. 'Hospitals simply do not have the sophisticated skill to squeeze money out of patients,' said Ge Bai, a professor at Johns Hopkins Carey School of Business and a healthcare accounting expert. 'We're going to see more and more businesses like that that help hospitals enhance revenue. You're already seeing a flourishing, thriving industry,' of financial middle men.' A testimonial sent to the Guardian by Curae provides a window into this appeal: a Banner Health employee said Curae helped the hospital 'improve collections' at the 'point of service' (their healthcare facilities) 'by $22m compared to 2023'. More than 90,000 patients applied for financing with Banner in 2024. 'I've worked in the field of Patient Access [sic] for 22 years,' wrote Jarrod Brown, senior director of patient access at Banner Health. 'Curae has been a major win for our patients, by providing a financing option focused on their healthcare needs.' Kuehnhoff said Curae's specialism in the 'subprime patient', calls into question whether hospitals are pushing patients who might be eligible for free or discounted care – known as 'charity care' – into payment plans. 'Does this person who needs medical financing actually qualify for charity care through the hospital? And are they being shunted to a medical financial product rather than appropriately given the assistance they qualify for?' Kuehnhoff asked rhetorically. Traditionally, hospitals have provided patients with interest-free payment plans and the majority still do. A recent research letter published in Jama Health Forum found only 8.5% of hospitals promote what the study described as 'interest-bearing' payment products. 'Hospitals have really tried to step up to offer long term payment plans for at least some of the patients within some income brackets – to try to work with people,' said Erin Duffy, a Scholar at the University of Southern California's Schaeffer Institute and a co-author of the study. But insurers have increasingly pushed costs onto consumers, which has forced hospitals to collect directly from patients. By 2022, medical debt was the most common form of debt in collections, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), and most patients in debt to hospitals were insured, according to a widely cited report. The same year, about one-quarter of American adults said they had a past due medical or dental bill, according to a survey by Kaiser Family Foundation. Before Trump entered office, the Biden administration attempted to prevent debt collectors from reporting medical debt to credit agencies as a form of relief – efforts debt collectors fought and that abruptly ended with the gutting of the CFPB. 'I don't think we want to make a case that these are evil companies because at the end of the day they did increase access for some patients on the net,' said Bai. Instead, Bai views the system like Stenglein – 'dysfunctional'. 'We have toxic soil – that's why we're seeing all kinds of outlandish plants grown.'
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
‘Everything we had': LA family devastated after losing millions in bold Hollywood-style heist of jewelry store
It seems like a plotline out of a Hollywood blockbuster: thieves cutting through a concrete wall in the middle of the night to break into a neighboring jewelry store and steal more than $2 million in cash and jewels. But that's what happened in a brazen heist to family-owned 5 Star Jewelry and Watch Repair in Simi Valley, California, according to ABC7 Eyewitness News. Thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can now become a landlord for as little as $100 — and no, you don't have to deal with tenants or fix freezers. Here's how I'm 49 years old and have nothing saved for retirement — what should I do? Don't panic. Here are 6 of the easiest ways you can catch up (and fast) Nervous about the stock market in 2025? Find out how you can access this $1B private real estate fund (with as little as $10) 'I feel bad because this was my life, my retirement … they got everything we had,' Jacob Youssef told KTLA5. At 71 years old, he was about to retire and had already left the business to his son Jonathan in 2015. 'I cannot rebuild what I did in my lifetime.' Since the store was priced out of insurance, they've now lost everything. A security camera shows one of the thieves crawling on his stomach through the neighboring store to avoid motion sensors and then spray-painting the camera lens. 'This wasn't random,' Ted Mackrel, owner of Dr. Conkey's Candy and Coffee told KABC. 'They sawed a hole in our roof Sunday evening of Memorial Day weekend and managed to dodge all security systems.' From there, the thieves dropped into the shop's bathroom, shimmied along the floor and spent at least three hours cutting through a concrete wall and then a heavy safe. Mackrel says the break-in was discovered on Monday morning when staff reported 'a big hole in the wall leading to the jewelry store.' According to Jacob and Jonathan, the thieves stole all of the gold and jewelry in the safe, as well as customers' heirloom pieces — including a Rolex watch — that they were repairing at the time of the break-in. But that wasn't all they lost. 'It's a hit,' Jonathan, who now runs the family business, told KTLA5. 'It's [my dad's] retirement, my future. I have a young family and three daughters. It's a lot to have to rebuild from, especially because my dad is 71. He can't work forever.' Since the incident, the local community has started a fundraiser to help the family get back on their feet. Read more: Want an extra $1,300,000 when you retire? Dave Ramsey says — and that 'anyone' can do it This event reveals a critical vulnerability that many small business owners face: relying entirely on their business as their retirement plan. Recent Gallup research found that most small business owners don't have a succession plan, yet 74% of employer-business owners have plans to sell or transfer the ownership of their business for retirement. An earlier 2025 survey by SCORE found that 34% of entrepreneurs have no retirement savings plan for themselves, with 18% planning to sell their business and use the money to fund their retirement. Another 21% have already used their retirement savings to invest in their business. But this strategy comes with risks, including a lack of diversification, liquidity challenges and even the myth of the eventual sale. 'Of the approximately 77 million baby boomers in the U.S., an estimated 12 million have ownership in privately held businesses,' according to a whitepaper by Butcher Joseph & Co. and ITR Economics. At the same time, about 10,000 baby boomers reach retirement age every day. But many are facing a similar problem, since 'their would-be heirs would rather have the proceeds of a sale than take over the family business.' Another problem, however, is that with an influx of baby boomers looking to sell, 'we're entering an environment where buyers have the upper hand,' according to Entrepreneur. That may be good news for young entrepreneurs looking to buy an established business, but perhaps less so for small business owners dependent on the sale for their retirement. If you're self-employed or run a business, you may want to avoid putting all your retirement eggs in one basket. If you're self-employed and don't have any employees, consider a solo 401(k) to beef up your own retirement savings. If you have employees, a Simplified Employee Pension (SEP) IRA can help both owners and their employees contribute toward their retirement. You may also want to consider contributing to personal investment accounts separate from the business. The more diversified you are, the better. And don't forget about liquidity. If you can't sell the business right away, what would that mean for your retirement goals? It's well worth consulting with a financial advisor as well as experts in succession planning to make sure you have an exit strategy that leaves you with options. Rich, young Americans are ditching the stormy stock market — here are the alternative assets they're banking on instead How much cash do you plan to keep on hand after you retire? Here are 3 of the biggest reasons you'll need a substantial stash of savings in retirement Robert Kiyosaki warns of a 'Greater Depression' coming to the US — with millions of Americans going poor. But he says these 2 'easy-money' assets will bring in 'great wealth'. How to get in now Here are 5 'must have' items that Americans (almost) always overpay for — and very quickly regret. How many are hurting you? Like what you read? Join 200,000+ readers and get the best of Moneywise straight to your inbox every week. This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
The Hill
an hour ago
- The Hill
6 in 10 say military parade ‘not a good use' of government money: Survey
Six in 10 said the military parade in Washington, D.C., is 'not a good use' of government money, according to a new survey. In The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research survey, 60 percent called a military parade this weekend to mark 250 years of the U.S. Army 'not a good use of government funds.' Thirty-eight percent said the opposite about the parade in the survey. One percent 'skipped' responding or refused to answer. Washington is bracing for the large military parade, which falls on President Trump's 79th birthday. The president has a history of being fascinated with ostentatious military displays, and some of his critics have brought up concerns about both the cost and optics. 'We're going to have a big, big celebration, as you know, 250 years,' Trump said on Memorial Day at Arlington National Cemetery. Trump's military parade and festivities could cost between $25 million and $45 million, according to the Army. Reagan Washington National Airport has also said it will close during the Army's Saturday celebration. 'To accommodate aircraft flyovers along the parade route, followed by a fireworks display, the Federal Aviation Administration is expected to suspend airline operations at DCA — affecting scheduled flights,' an alert on the airport's website read. The AP-NORC survey took place from June 9-15, polling 1,158 people and with plus or minus 4 percentage points as its margin of sampling error.
