Roger Marshall Calls for Health Care Cuts as His Former Practice Faces Scrutiny Over 700 Patient Lawsuits

Republican Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas is facing renewed scrutiny over his health-care positions following reports that he has supported changes to federal health-care programs while his former medical practice pursued hundreds of patients over unpaid medical bills.

The controversy comes after a New York Times investigation found that Marshall and his obstetrics practice filed more than 700 debt-collection lawsuits against former patients during his decades as an obstetrician-gynecologist. The records reviewed by the newspaper showed that 81 patients were arrested after missing court dates, while lawyers sought arrest warrants in 13 additional cases where it was unclear whether an arrest occurred.

Roger Marshall Faces Questions Over His Health Care Agenda

Marshall has been a vocal critic of the Affordable Care Act and has promoted his own proposals for changing the U.S. health-care system. In a December 2025 Senate speech, he argued that the ACA had increased federal subsidies to health insurers and contributed to problems he believes have made health care less affordable. He has called for reforms aimed at reducing costs and changing how Americans obtain coverage.

Critics of Marshall’s health-care approach argue that changes to federal coverage and subsidies could leave some Americans with less assistance or fewer affordable coverage options. The exact number of people who could lose coverage depends on the specific legislation and provisions under consideration, making broad claims that millions would simply be “kicked off” health care dependent on the policy being discussed.

Roger Marshall’s Patient Debt Record Comes Under Spotlight

The debate over Marshall’s health-care policies has been intensified by revelations about his former medical practice. According to the New York Times’ analysis of Kansas court records, patients were sued over unpaid balances ranging from several thousand dollars to as little as $101. The practice also routinely charged an 18% annual interest rate and used wage and bank-account garnishments to collect debts.

Marshall’s campaign has pushed back against the characterization of the cases as a personal decision by the senator to have patients arrested. A campaign spokeswoman said Marshall treated patients regardless of their ability to pay and argued that judges—not doctors—issue arrest warrants. An attorney involved in the collection cases also said Marshall was not involved in decisions about warrants, arrests or garnishments, while reporting indicates the 18% interest rate was contained in contracts used by the practice.

For OGM News NG, the controversy places Roger Marshall’s political arguments about health-care affordability alongside renewed questions about how unpaid medical bills were handled during his career as a physician. The competing accounts leave voters and the public to examine both his proposed health-care policies and the documented record of his former medical practice.