Read this article: "The Lien Machine: New breed of investor profits by financing surgeries for desperate women patients"

The article was written by Reuters' reporters Alison Frankel and Jessica Dye. Here's a little taste of it:

In the little known world of medical lending, financiers invest in operations to remove pelvic implants from women suing device makers - and reap an inflated share of the payouts when cases settle. * * * Previously undisclosed deposition transcripts from ... investigations [instigated by pelvic mesh manufacturers] and Reuters interviews with mesh patients have provided rare details about a little-known business: investing in surgeries for injured plaintiffs. It’s a practice that has become deeply entangled with medical device litigation. Medical funders, often working through go-betweens like [certain entreprenuers] or doctors’ billing services, purchase medical bills at a deep discount from physicians, hospitals and others who have provided care to patients involved in personal injury litigation. Some medical funders also provide “concierge care” to these patients, fronting them travel and expense money at a high rate of interest.