“Appreciated,” Elias said, dipping his chin.
“So, we have confirmation of the link between Weisser and the senator that Kit suspected,” Gina said.
“Yup,” Wren confirmed. “And now we know the deal. Senator Robbins is getting a percentage from the loans too, through a shell company. And he’s about to make sure those loans get worse. We’re talking nightmare-level worse.”
“How so?” Lach asked.
“He’s pushing for two pieces of legislation in Colorado. The first supposedly protects patients’ HIPAA rights but actually makes it harder to reveal these predatory loans. The second is where the real nightmare comes in.”
“What nightmare?” Kyle asked.
Wren cleared her throat and took a big drink of water with lemon slices from a glass tumbler. She’d been talking for nearly an hour and her voice was showing it.
“Okay, imagine this. You’ve been diagnosed with cancer. You go to Milestone, which has just opened a shiny new oncology wing.”
“Named after Barbie Gillis?” Waylon joked.
Wren snickered. “Yeah, right. In Weisser’s wet dreams.” She crinkled her nose in disgust and squeezed Elias’ hand tighter.
I’m going to give her an extra-long massage tonight followed by a string of orgasms until that foul image is obliterated from her head.
Wren continued. “No surprise, your insurance won’t cover everything. You don’t want to die, but you also don’t have ten thousand dollars in spare change lost somewhere in your sofa. So you take out a loan from the hospital to cover the difference. The hospital loan is zero-percent interest and you have a long time to pay it back. Sounds great, right?”
Gina started pacing. “Too great. What’s the catch?”
“The catch is when Milestone gives your account to LastSave Lenders. You keep paying on time but then months later, you begin receiving late notices, even though you’re making payments. Turns out your payments are only being applied to your surgery, not your medical appointments, or maybe your hospital stay. It doesn’t matter—you’re past-due.
“And that zero-interest offer goes away,” Gina said.
“Yup, that zero-interest offer goes away,” Wren confirmed. “And they don’t tell you right away. They let those bills pile up for a few months without sending a notice. Then, you get hit with late penalties and an interest rate that is just under the legal maximum limit.”
Gina looked sick. Her expression matched the feeling in Elias’ stomach. “They purposefully neglect bundling everything and they don’t tell you, or give you any warning.”
Wren nodded. “Exactly. And the patient is also getting bills from the oncologist,andthe anesthesiologist,andthe PT person,andprobably the dog next door. They do any number of things to make the payments more confusing. And ifthatdoesn’t work, they’ve already gotten you to sign a ‘Surprise Billing Protection Form’—which is anything but—at the beginning of your treatment. It allows them to get around the No Surprises Act.”
“So, Robbins is working on legislation that will make all this a reality?”
Wren shook her head sadly. “Oh, no, Gina. This isalreadyreality. And Robbins is about to make it so much worse. Colorado passed legislation that says a hospital can’t put a lien on your house. However, LastSave Lenders can and does. Robbins wants a bill that streamlines the process. LastSave Lenders forgives the sad little ten grand you owe them, but they have your home. Robbins calls it The Secure Healthcare Lending Initiative.”
Gina looked horrified. “Let me guess. Alongside the HIPAA legislation he’s pushing, it will be impossible to get the evidence to prove that the lending company is targeting patients who own their homes, or show that they are engaging in predatory lending practices. The legislation will prevent patients from entering the evidence with the excuse that they are ‘protecting their privacy’ for their own good.”
Wren tapped the tip of her nose. “You got it.”
Gina grimaced and closed her eyes. “Disgusting.”
“Utterly. But.” Wren’s expression changed from disgust to triumph. She bent down to pick up one of the Louboutins she’d kicked off the minute she’d sat down. “Thanks to you, I’ve got itall recorded here.” She tapped the side of the shoe. “Thanks for letting me borrow these, but my God, I’m never walking in them again.”
Gina laughed. “It’s been a while since I’ve had to wear them, and I have not missed the pinched toes.”
Lachlan scoffed. “I didn’t even know you still had those.”
“Oh, I kept quite a few toys from my previous life.”
“Can I see?” Elias asked. Wren handed him the shoe. He turned the wicked-looking thing in his hands.How does any woman wear these?“I don’t see anything out of the ordinary.”
Gina came around the table and took the shoe from Elias. “It’s under the leather bow on the back.” She fiddled with the bow until it lifted, revealing a tiny port for a cable. “The recorder is at the top of the heel at its widest. The mic is located at the toe, here.” She ran her finger down the side of the shoe to the pointy toe.
“I crossed my leg to lift the shoe and pointed the toe at Weisser the Weasel as soon as we started talking,” Wren said. “I hope it worked.”
