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marymshannon.bsky.social
Mary Shannon
@marymshannon.bsky.social
69 followers 190 following 28 posts
social worker & researcher | STL
she/her | views = mine
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marymshannon.bsky.social
Pretty bleak!

Losing your premium tax credit? Concerned about rising costs? Try these hot tips!

1) Reduce your taxable income.
2) Defer your income.
3) Reduce your actual income.
4) Donate your income.
Screenshot of Quarts news article headline and subheading: "Healthcare costs are set to surge. Here’s what to do about it With ACA premium tax credits expiring soon, 22 million enrollees could see premiums surge an average of 114%. Here's how to combat rising costs" Screenshot from Quartz news article: "How ACA participants can avoid the subsidy cliff in 2026 To avoid going over the ACA subsidy cliff, here are some strategies McGrath and other experts recommend. 1. Max out annual 401(k), HSA, IRA or other tax-advantaged accounts Maxing out contributions to a pre-tax account like an employer-provided 401(k) or 403(b) account, an IRA, or a health savings account (HSA) can also help reduce your income if you’re close to the cliff. And if you’re older, you can make catch-up contributions to further reduce your income, McGrath said." Screenshot from Quartz news article: "2. Be strategic about taxable distributions Avoiding or minimizing taxable distributions from retirement accounts or deferring income (such as bonuses) is another move to consider — especially if those distributions would push your adjusted gross income beyond the cliff, McGrath said. But don’t try to figure this one out alone and consult an accountant or financial advisor, he added. 3. Work fewer hours The subsidy cliff presents another tough choice for some who need manageable health premiums: reducing their work hours. This applies to hourly workers or those who are self-employed with flexible incomes who can adjust their work schedules to lower their income enough to qualify for the subsidy. Working (and earning) less may make more sense for those with pre-existing health conditions that are expensive to manage to keep their premiums from skyrocketing." Screenshot from Quartz news article: "4. Increase charitable distributions If you’re 70 ½ or older, making qualified charitable distributions directly from an IRA to a qualified charity is one way to reduce your modified adjusted gross income if you’re on the cliff borderline, McGrath explained."
December 1, 2025 at 5:22 PM
marymshannon.bsky.social
I spent 5.5 hours on hold with my pharmacy this week... only to be told my medication is still out of stock. 🙃
Collage of three screenshots from the poster's call log, showing three outgoing calls over the past week, their durations totaling 5.5 hours.
November 18, 2025 at 5:18 PM
marymshannon.bsky.social
Someone run the ROI for me: is $335,000 over 3.5 years enough to save 300 jobs?
October 2, 2025 at 8:23 PM
marymshannon.bsky.social
They did. When @stlpublicradio.bsky.social covered our research, WashU gave this statement. They emphasized their overall charity care & denied "targeting" anyone.
Screenshot from St. Louis Public Radio's coverage of the research, which includes a response from WashU. The text in the screenshot reads: "WashU officials said those affected by the lawsuits represent a small sliver of the patients the medical group has treated. During the time period of the study, WashU Physicians treated nearly 1.5 million patients and provided $752 million in uncompensated care, “underscoring [Wash U’s] role as a critical safety net provider for the uninsured and underinsured,” said spokeswoman Julie Flory. “In some cases, we are required to pursue collection of amounts owed by patients and only do so with people who have the means to pay, excluding, for example, those who are unemployed, work part-time, or are paying child support,” Flory continued. “We offer assistance to patients with financial needs. Any suggestion that we would target individuals from certain groups for debt collection is false and misguided, and anything that attempts to draw such a conclusion should be closely examined.”"
October 2, 2025 at 7:45 PM
marymshannon.bsky.social
7/ The burden wasn't equally shared:
🔹 Majority-Black ZIP codes represent 22% of the region's population, but they accounted for:
🔸 41% of lawsuits
🔸 47% of total judgments
🔸 48% of wage garnishments
A stacked bar chart showing distribution of medical debt lawsuits and legal outcomes by ZIP code racial majority: Majority-Black zip codes, home to 21.9% of the region’s population (286 087 individuals), accounted for 392 identified lawsuits (41.1%), $488 352.10 in judgment totals (47.3%), and 203 wage garnishments (48.0%). Majority-White zip codes, home to 70.8% of the region’s population (924 397 individuals), saw 420 lawsuits (44.0%), $421 515.83 in judgment totals (40.8%), and 160 wage garnishments (37.8%).
July 25, 2025 at 2:11 PM
marymshannon.bsky.social
6/ Here's what we found:
🔹55% of lawsuits led to judgments
🔹87% of those were default judgments (the patient didn’t appear)
🔹The average judgment: just under $2,000
🔹The smallest: $104
A Sankey diagram showing the final outcomes of 973 lawsuits: 531 resulted in judgments, of which 462 were default judgments, 66 were consent judgments, and 3 carried the disposition "tried by court - civil." Other potential case outcomes included: Dismissed (346), Not Disposed (61), Change of Venue (34) and Structured Settlement (1).
July 25, 2025 at 2:11 PM