Fresh Pain for the Uninsured

By Brian Grow and Robert Berner
Business Week
November 21, 2007

As doctors and hospitals turn to GE, Citigroup, and smaller rivals to finance patient care, the sick pay much more

In a lucrative new form of fiscal alchemy, a growing number of hospitals, working with a range of financial companies, are squeezing revenue from patients with little or no health insurance. April Dial's dealings with Hot Spring County Medical Center in Malvern, Ark., illustrate how the transformation of medical bills into consumer debt means quicker cash for medical providers but tougher times for many patients of modest means.  >> full article