"You wouldn't think you'd go to jail over medical bills": County in rural Kansas is jailing people o [View all]

[Judi Lynn]

CBS NEWS February 9, 2020, 7:18 PM
"You wouldn't think you'd go to jail over medical bills": County in rural Kansas is jailing people over unpaid medical debt

Last Updated Feb 9, 2020 7:56 PM EST

There is at least one issue a divided electorate can come together on this election year: A recent poll finds 90% of those surveyed agreed on the importance of making health care more affordable.

Millions of Americans remain uninsured.

As Meg Oliver reports in partnership with ProPublica, some people are even going to jail because they're squeezed by a system that's putting new demands on overburdened incomes.

Tres and Heather Biggs' son Lane was diagnosed with leukemia when he was five years old. At the same time, Heather suffered seizures from Lyme disease.

"We had so many — multiple health issues in our family at the same time, it put us in a bracket that made insurance unattainable," Heather Biggs said. "It would have made no sense. We would have had to have not eaten, not had a home."

More:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/coffeyville-kansas-medical-debt-county-in-rural-kansas-is-jailing-people-over-unpaid-medical-debt/