Power of the press
NBC News recently broadcast a feature about how Atrium Health was treating former patients and their families. For years, the nonprofit hospital system had been aggressively pursuing low- and middle-income people to demand payment of past medical debt. Atrium Health even placed liens on their homes to collect on old bills.
According to KFF, a nonprofit health policy research, polling and news organization, Americans owe some $220 billion in medical debt. It is the biggest cause of personal bankruptcy. The top three states for medical debt are South Dakota, Mississippi and North Carolina. Common debt collection tactics have involved hounding phone calls and mails, threats to ruin credit, garnishing wages, lawsuits, home liens and even civil arrest warrants.
From January 2017 to June 2022, North Carolina hospitals sued more than 7,500 patients and their families to collect medical debt. Many of those lawsuits resulted in default judgments, high-interest charges and additional fees.
In response, N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper (D) announced a medical debt relief program that would forgive medical debts dating back to Jan. 1, 2014, for Medicaid beneficiaries and for patients whose income was at or below at least 350% of the federal poverty level. However, many former patients who were struggling to pay their medical bills did not qualify.
“When you have medical problems, there’s a whole cascade of consequences,” attorney Ed Boltz told NBC News. “It takes people who have been on the knife’s edge and pushes them over. People end up losing their homes.”
But less than a week after the NBC News report aired, Atrium Health's parent company Advocate Health, announced a new lien release program. Advocate Health plans to cancel liens and forgive debts for patients in six states, starting with the oldest cases first and resolving the rest over the next several months.
This is just one example of how journalists serve as a watchdog for the public and hold companies accountable. Great work!
FMI: Click here.
Saved in time
One day last summer, Moses White started the collection truck he drives for the Burlington County Regional Recycling Program. As he was about to begin his rounds in Burlington County, N.J., his colleague, Mark Motta told him to turn off the engine.
Motta had been in the rear of the truck checking its hydraulics when he noticed two eyes looking at him from inside the compactor. Motta climbed into the truck's bin, grabbed a tiny white and gray kitten by the scruff and carefully pulled her away from the hopper's blades.
The 2-month-old kitten, who was covered in oil and shaking, was passed to safety officer Samantha Stamile. She and Motta gave the wee feline several baths in Dawn dish soap to remove the oil and cleaned her eyes with a saline solution. Mott also gave her a new name: Squishy.
Stamile fed Squishy and took her to the All Creatures Veterinary Care Center in Sewell, N.J. There the kitten received an examination and antibiotics for an upper respiratory infection. Stamile, who has fostered cats for years, then called the Rise Again Animal Rescue and offered to care for Squishy until she was old enough to be spayed, vaccinated and put up for adoption.
One month later, Squishy found her fur-ever home:
FMI: Click here.
In touch with his inner child
SUPPORT A BIT OF GOOD NEWS
A Bit of Good News is a reader-supported newsletter featuring positive news. Subscriptions are free. But, if you want to aid my efforts — and can afford to do so — paid subscriptions are only $5/month, or $50/year. Everyone who purchases a subscription will receive the newsletter, gain full access to the archives and be automatically entered into a monthly giveaway for books, gift certificates and other prizes.
THIS WEEK’S POLL
LAST WEEK’S POLL
THIS WEEK IN (POSITIVE) HISTORY
On October 2, 1959, the science fiction anthology TV series, "The Twilight Zone," debuted.
On October 3, 1863, President Abraham Lincoln designated the last Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day.
On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the first man-made satellite, into orbit.
On October 5, 1962, The Beatles released their debut single, "Love Me Do."
On October 6, 2021, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus recommended the world's first malaria vaccine for children after a pilot program showed it was effective.
On October 7, 1954, Marian Anderson became the first Black singer hired by New York's Metropolitan Opera.
On October 8, 1948, Arne Larsson, 43, became the first recipient of the internal pacemaker.
On October 9, 1855, inventor Isaac Singer patented the sewing machine motor.
THIS WEEK'S BIRTHDAYS
On October 2, comedian/actor Groucho Marx, photographer Annie Leibovitz and singer/songwriter/musician/actor Sting
On October 3, advice columnist Emily Post, director Denis Villeneuve and actress Lena Headey
On October 4, President Rutherford B. Hayes, British illustrator Sidney Paget and British-American romance novelist Jackie Collins
On October 5, comedian/actor Bernie Mac, actress Kate Winslet and football player Travis Kelce
On October 6, Swiss architect Le Corbusier, actress Carole Lombard and Norwegian ethnologist/adventurer Thor Heyerdahl
On October 7, Danish Nobel Prize-winning physicist Niels Bohr, Nobel Peace Prize recipient and South African archbishop/activist Desmond Tutu and singer/songwriter Toni Braxton
On October 8, German composer Heinrich Schutz, aviation industrialist Edward V. Rickenbacker and fantasy author Frank Herbert
On October 9, director Guillermo del Toro, actor/director Tony Shalhoub and Japanese organizational guru Marie Kondo
THIS WEEK’S FUN HOLIDAYS
On October 2, International Walk to School Day, World Farm Animals Day, National Coffee With a Cop Day, National Custodian Day, National Fried Scallops Day, National Kale Day, National Name Your Car Day, National Pumpkin Seed Day, National Smarties Day and Guardian Angel Day
On October 3, National Boyfriend Day and National Techies Day
On October 4, World Animal Day, World College Radio Day, World Habitat Day, World Smile Day, National Body Language Day, National Cinnamon Roll Day, National Golf Lovers Day, National Taco Day, National Truckers Day, National Vodka Day, Improve Your Office Day, Kids Music Day and Kindness to Animals Day
On October 5, International Frugal Fun Day, World Card-Making Day, World Teachers' Day, National Apple Betty Day, National Be Nice Day, National Get Funky Day, National Play Outside Day and Bookshop Day
On October 6, National Badger Day, National Coaches Day, National Mad Hatter Day, National Noodle Day, National Orange Wine Day, National Plus Size Appreciation Day, Physician Assistant Day and Zero Inbox Day
On October 7, International Day of Peaceful Communication, World Architecture Day, World Cotton Day, National Child Health Day, National Chocolate-Covered Pretzel Day, National Consignment Day, National Forgiveness & Happiness Day, National Frappe Day, National Inner Beauty Day and You Matter to Me Day
On October 8, International Newspaper Carrier Day, International Off-Road Day, World Octopus Day, National Face Your Fears Day, National Fluffernutter Day, National Harbormaster Appreciation Day, National Hero Day, National Pierogi Day and National Salmon Day
On October 9, International Beer and Pizza Day, International Top Spinning Day, World Post Day, National Curves Day, National Emergency Nurses Day and Fire Prevention Day
PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT
FMI: Click here.
SIMPLE PLEASURES
* The smell of bonfires
* Eating a fresh apple cider doughnut
* Driving around the neighborhood, looking at Halloween displays
HOW TO SPREAD JOY/KINDNESS
* Leave a handwritten note for someone in an unexpected place
* Donate to victims of natural disasters
* If your friend is creative, buy and recommend his/her/their work.
RECOMMENDED SUBSTACK
MY LITTLE ONES
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"There's an endless autumn in me, scenting my thoughts like campfire smoke." --Jarod K. Anderson
MOMENT OF GRATITUDE
Thanks to NBC News, YouTube, Atrium Health, KFF, North Carolina Department of State Treasurer, Advocate Health, Nieman Reports, Apple News, Rise Again Animal Rescue, Facebook, Asbury Park Press, Island Breaks, The Washington Post, Max Joseph, Great Big Story, The Written Word, Greenwich Entertainment, History.com, This Day in History, Britannica, Time and Date, On This Day, the Library of Congress, The Beatles, IMDb, Famous Birthdays, This Day in Music, National Today, National Day Calendar, Holidays Calendar, Undue Medical Debt, The Moonlight Reader Society, Green Mountain Baking, Canva and Deposit Photos for art and story suggestions.
And congratulations to Jen K., a paid subscriber to A Bit of Good News. Her name was randomly selected in our monthly giveaway. The October prize: A book bag that reads: "Treat people with kindness."
KEEP IN TOUCH
Read a positive/uplifting news story lately? Have an inspiring quote you want to share? Or do you just want to let me know about some of your favorite simple pleasures?
Like this newsletter? Please forward it to your friends and encourage them to sign up.