Y&R Discussion Group

Topic: A question about devastating medical bills

I have been hearing for some time about people who lose everything and go bankrupt over medical bills but I had a neighbor who was sick all her life, really, and had medical bills out the wazoo.  She just kept nickling and diming them out, sending $10 or $20 and it was accepted or finally written off by the dr. or the hospital.  Then another case I've mentioned before where a guy with no insurance had emergency surgery and the bill was quite high.  He called the hosp. office and explained that he made $10 an hour and asked if they could help him set up a plan.  They just wrote the whole bill off.  And my medical dr. had very, very expensive surgeries, and he is paying his bill off a little at a time.

I am trying to figure out how some people lose everything and others pay it out, even very slowly, or get it written off.  Does anyone know what the difference is?  They can't MAKE you sell your house, can they?  I'm curious to know the circumstances.

Replies: (list all replies)

the only ones that 'make out medically' in our society, are the really wealthy who can afford all the deductables, co-pays, or the really poor who can rely on medicaid and some charity programs. The ones who suffer the most are the 'working poor'. those who own a few assets or, have a job with a paycheck they can go after. They stand to lose everything, including any business they may own. Believe me, our local hospital stops at nothing to collect. A friend of mine who has many illnesses, was dropped from her suppliment to Medicare for too many claims. She needed a knee replacement (she could barely walk or stand the pain) so she needed to take out a loan to pay up front for the 20% medicare doesn't pay. They're trying to sell their home to get out from all the medical and dental bills but no luck so far. Not only does she worry about her and her husband's health and illnesses, she has to worry about getting a loan if she needs more surgery in the future. Both her and her husband both worked their entire lives but never made it into the 'big leagues' money wise since they raised a family on low income jobs. If you're rich or very poor, you can affort medical care in this country...plain and simple. Elaine

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Posted by: Kalia
Date posted: Mon Oct 26 21:56:34 2009
Message:

Where do you live? I'm moving there!! We have huge medical bills and I'm trying to pay as much as I can on them. Its difficult. They will sue your @ss here if you don't pay. OMG. I know a family who had to sell their home to pay for medical expenses. That is INSANITY.

I have nothing nice to say about insurance, medical bills, hospitals OR doctors. So I better just shut up now.

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Kalia, I'm in the same boat as you re medical bills. I too have nothing nice to say about our system but at least i could get the emergency treatment I needed to live. My sympathies are with the uninsured who are to 'wealthy' to qualify to be 'left alone' from the vultures called hospitals, doctors. They'll drain the last penny from you if they feel you actually own something or work so there's a paycheck they can garenshee. Elaine

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Posted by: MapleLeaf
Date posted: Mon Oct 26 20:20:55 2009
Message:
Thank God for our health care here in Canada!

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Posted by: Mitch
Date posted: Mon Oct 26 18:56:12 2009
Message:

The only ones that I know get written off are those who are found to have no assets and are declared "medically indigent".  There's no point in going after them because they don't own anything and have only a subsistence income.  There's nothing you can even put a lien against.

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Posted by: Elaine
Date posted: Mon Oct 26 17:56:58 2009
Message:
Let me tell you about docs and hospitals in our area....if you don't pay, they send collection agencies after you...If you own a home or business, you'll be taken to court to recover the money.  Just about everyday, in our local paper, the legal section is full of people being sued in court over unpaid medical bills.  A couple we know had their paycheck garensheed...$500 a month.  They couldn't live on what was left over.  They borrowed $ from the wife's mom to hire a lawyer to declare bankrupcy.  Now, their credit is in the toilet, but they can afford a car to get to work, keep a roof over their head, buy their car and home insurance and eat. There's no mercy here...pay up or have the collection agency after you and be sued in court for any assets. 

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Boy... there is something really wrong with this picture!!! People who don't own anything turn out to be the lucky ones in this scenario. I would be one of those. When I had surgery I couldn't afford the copay amount except tp pay $10 a month and that's what I did. They didn't like it but I had nothing for them to come after so it took me over three years to pay what I owed, even though I had insurance. Sometimes it pays to be poor. ....OT

I have lots of medical bills too left over from surgery last winter. Supposidly, I have 'good insurance' but there's always co-pays, deductables, and things they won't pay for. I'm making small payments so we can eat and live reasonably comfortable, but I know, if I didn't make these payments, my a## would be in court faster than a speeding bullet. My next yearly physical is coming up in Nov. The only reason I'm going is that I need my thyroid medication. If I didn't, I wouldn't go. When I go, I'll ask the doc to lay off some 'unnessary tests'. I'm due for a colonoscopy...Not going to happen this year. I can't afford more bills. Elaine

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