FRANKLIN
Meadows case update
The N.C. State Bureau of Investigation’s case file concerning Mark Meadows and allegations of voter fraud has been submitted to the Attorney General’s Office for review, according to a release. Final case file documentation was submitted in early November.
Prosecutors with the AG’s Office will determine whether criminal charges are appropriate, not the SBI. Because the case is pending a decision, no additional information is available.
RALEIGH
Student loan relief coming
Attorney General Josh Stein has announced $95 million in student loan relief for 87,285 student loan borrowers who were harmed by the Consumer Advocacy Center, also known as the Premier Student Loan Center, and additional co-defendants.
In North Carolina, 3,649 people will receive $4,072,589 in relief. Borrowers who are eligible for relief do not have to do anything – you will be contacted directly by the third-party company handling the payments, according to a release.
In 2019, Stein – along with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, attorney general of Minnesota and Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office – sued Premier and its related companies alleging that they violated consumer protection laws with their deceptive student loan debt relief services.
Refunds of the illegal fees collected by Premier are being provided through the CFPB’s civil penalty relief fund. Borrowers with questions about payments should contact RUST Consulting at Premier_info@rustcfpbconsumerprotection.org or 833-539-2839.
RALEIGH
Ambulance bill surprise
Over the last year, the newly enacted federal No Surprises Act protected 9 million insured people from surprise medical bills from out-of-network hospitals and air ambulances.
However, the new law does not protect patients from ground ambulance surprise bills. Each year, millions of insured patients who use ambulances are at risk of receiving an expensive out-of-network balance bill from the ambulance company. To provide a closer look at the problem, the U.S. PIRG Education Fund last week released a new report, “EMERGENCY: the high cost of ambulance surprise bills.”
The report explains that ground ambulances transport about 3 million privately insured people to emergency rooms annually. Because ambulances have the highest out-of-network billing rate compared to other health-care providers, 51 percent of patients who have an emergency ride in an ambulance are exposed to a potential surprise bill.
While 10 states already have protections from these surprise bills, North Carolina is not one of them.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Public Meetings
COMING SOON
- Cherokee County Board of Commissioners will hold a public hearing at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 3, in the multi-purpose room of the Cherokee County Courthouse, 75 Peachtree St. in downtown Murphy. The hearing is to receive input on re-establishing the Cherokee County Board of Social Services, also known as the DSS Board.
Compiled by Publisher David Brown.