While facing sharp criticism over the last month for his debt collection practices as an OB-GYN in Great Bend, Kansas, U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall has forcefully defended himself, saying his methods were "very common." But an analysis of medical debt lawsuits in the Kansas court system found that although it's not uncommon for hospitals and clinics across the state to sue patients, the 18% annual interest rate Marshall applied to unpaid bills was by far the highest of the roughly 150 medical practices whose public records were reviewed by The Kansas City Star. The New York Times revealed in September that before voters sent him to Washington, the rural doctor-turned-Republican lawmaker sued more than 700 former patients while caring for new and expectant mothers across his more than 25-year career.