The Preferred Group of Tampa - July 2023 Newsletter
July 2023
Preferred Group of Tampa Advocates for ARM Industry
The Accounts Receivable Management (ARM) industry’s main trade association, ACA International, Inc. (ACA) held their annual 2023 Washington Insights Fly-In event on Capitol Hill from May 15 to May 17. David Kelley, President and CEO of Preferred and President of the Florida Collectors Association (the state version of it’s national association), attended the event the purpose of which was to advocate on behalf of third and first-party collection agencies and the laws and regulations that affect collections.
David, along with other members of the associations, met with lawmakers and regulators and engaged in lobbying efforts with members of Congress to help educate them on all the unintended consequences of laws and regulations that impact debt recovery and have had a significant impact especially with regard to patient medical debt. This comes on the heels of ACA collaborating with other trade associations to wake up membership and do a better job advocating for industry and providers. who will face serious financial impacts with reduced recoveries and consumers that face little to no consequences for NOT paying their bills. Other critical issues were discussed, including the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) regulatory process, medical debt credit reporting changes, data security and privacy, as well as call and text message rulemaking at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
Many members of the House of Representatives, and the Senate engaged in regulatory presentations, received state and federal updates, and held a Healthcare Receivables Briefing at the Rayburn House Office Building featuring representatives of the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) and the American Association of Healthcare Administrative Management (AAHAM).
OUR GIVEBACK PROGRAM THROUGH COMPASSION INTERNATIONAL
Preferred sponsors two Compassion International children; both from Ethiopia, a 12-year-old boy named Abenzer who we’ve been sponsoring since October of 2015 and an 11-year-old girl named Meseret that we have been sponsoring since May of 2018.
Abenzer loves going to the church Sunday school, playing games and sports like soccer. He is in the equivalent of the 5th grade and his favorite subject is science. He is being raised by his mother.
Meseret also loves going to Sunday school, dancing, and games like Hide and Seek. She is in the equivalent of the 4th grade and her favorite subject is math.
Compassion International is a Christian ministry charity organization that helps children in poverty in countries all over the world. Their focus is not only on nutrition and health, but also the children’s spiritual foundation and education. Preferred receives letters and pictures from the children with updates on their progress in school and their newest interest. Pictures allow us to watch them grow!