Outrageous!

I was recently in the hospital for four days, have no health insurance, and now owe the hospital $9,000.  I'm a college student, work part time, and survive on around $200 a week. I'm in total shock. I don't know how I'm ever going to pay it off. When I first opened the bill, I was literally sick. That was a few days ago, and I still cry just thinking about it. :\\\'(

Call the hospital billing department and ask to speak with the patient adovcate NOW!!  They will work with you.  My roommate had a kidney infection and owed about 15,000 and pays like 10.00/week towards her bill.  Although she pays more now that she has a real job.   

Hospitals would much rather get some money then get no money if you declare bankruptcy.

Call the hospital billing department and ask to speak with the patient adovcate NOW!!  They will work with you.  My roommate had a kidney infection and owed about 15,000 and pays like 10.00/week towards her bill.  Although she pays more now that she has a real job.   

Hospitals would much rather get some money then get no money if you declare bankruptcy.

I am! I've already filled out two different forms for financial assistance. I'm planning on calling tomorrow to make an appointment to work out a payment plan. If I pay $10/wk on $9000, thats 900 weeks-over 17 years, to pay it off.  I only have about a year left for college, so hopefully after I graduate I can pay it off alot faster.

I've never been in debt like this before. I have student loans, but I don't have to worry about those until after graduation. I paid cash for my car and my credit card is usually paid off. It's so overwhelming.

No advice, but am very sorry for you.

I was recently in the hospital for four days, have no health insurance, and now owe the hospital $9,000.  I'm a college student, work part time, and survive on around $200 a week. I'm in total shock. I don't know how I'm ever going to pay it off. When I first opened the bill, I was literally sick. That was a few days ago, and I still cry just thinking about it. :\\\'(

So sorry to hear that Imiss.   :\\\'(  Its disgusting that they actually expect you to pay that! Since your still a college student, is it possible for you to go on your parents health insurance? My sister is a hair dresser and since she is independent of my parents and makes a very low wage she got health insurance through the government... I could ask her the details about it if you want? There must be something you can do for the future...

Hospitals would much rather get some money then get no money if you declare bankruptcy.

Medical debt is now treated like student loan debt and back taxes/child support in bankrupcy - the debt is not discharged in bankrupcy.

The law changed in 2006.

I feel for you, I missEngland!  I was there, too.  My car was struck by a drunk driver in a friend's car - he had no insurance, of course, was from another state, a repeat offender and went to jail.  I'd been laid off and was working temp for $8/hour and had no insurance.

I wound up with a bankrupcy, because of a divorce I had a lot of other debt, and that just tipped me over the edge and I had NO assets.  But although my medical debt was discharged in bankrupcy, that was over 6 years ago and things have changed now.

Another reason we'll not be moving back to the US again.

This is ludicrous! No one should have to go bankrupt just to stay healthy. I love the U.S., am proud to be American (without sounding too cheesy...), but this just goes to show that the U.S. really is not the "land of the free." The U.S. really has a lot to learn from other countries.

This is ludicrous! No one should have to go bankrupt just to stay healthy.

Well, you can't now, you still have to pay that debt back no matter what, or if you have assets I suppose you could use those.

I was living in a studio apartment and driving a boyfriend's car after that, because I couldn't afford another car.

Well, you can't now, you still have to pay that debt back no matter what, or if you have assets I suppose you could use those.

I was living in a studio apartment and driving a boyfriend's car after that, because I couldn't afford another car.

I am not sure where you got this from, but it is not true.  Medical debts are still dischargable in Chapter 7.  It is just harder to get chapter 7. 

http://abiworld.net/bankbill/changes.html

So sorry to hear that Imiss.   :\\\'(  Its disgusting that they actually expect you to pay that! Since your still a college student, is it possible for you to go on your parents health insurance?

My mom and sister are on TN care (free from state because my sister is a minor and my mom makes under a certain amount) and my dad's health insurance doesn't cover me because I'm too old. I use to be on TN care too, until I turned 20 and they decided to kick me off. I haven't been to a doctor/dentist since. My school offers student health insurance, but it's a joke. You still have to pay like crazy if anything happens.

I still feel sick just thinking about how much I'm going to have to pay back. $9,000. That's almost three semesters of tuition. My car is on it's last leg. It's a '94 with +140,000 miles on it and worth around $800.

Medical debt is now treated like student loan debt and back taxes/child support in bankrupcy - the debt is not discharged in bankrupcy.

The law changed in 2006.

I feel for you, I missEngland!  I was there, too.  My car was struck by a drunk driver in a friend's car - he had no insurance, of course, was from another state, a repeat offender and went to jail.  I'd been laid off and was working temp for $8/hour and had no insurance.

That really sucks and is totally unfair. That guy should have had to pay every last cent of your medical bill and for your car. I noticed in tiny print under my bill that they *could* repo my car.  (I think they would take one look at it and run away screaming...and there is a trick to opening both driver and passenger front doors...)

I'm calling today to work out a payment plan. I've gone over my budget, and I can do $50 a month right now. I really hope they don't expect me to pay more.

What really irks me is that if I was a single pregnant woman, I would easily get TN care. But since I'm going to college, working my butt off, and choose to wait to have children until I can support them, no health insurance for me.

I think the government needs to give full-time college students an affordable option for health care.

I think the government needs to give full-time college students an affordable option for health care.

Absolutely!!!

Especially since the schools I went REQUIRED insurance. As in, you couldn't register for classes without proof of insurance. And the student insurance they offered was still awfully expensive on a student budget, and was, as you say, a joke.

I hope you're able to work something out with them. What a nightmare.

I am not sure where you got this from, but it is not true.  Medical debts are still dischargable in Chapter 7.  It is just harder to get chapter 7. 

http://abiworld.net/bankbill/changes.html

I actually got it on here.  There were some threads about it when the law changed, but I didn't get too in depth about it, having already had a bankrupcy under the old rules years ago.

That really sucks and is totally unfair. That guy should have had to pay every last cent of your medical bill and for your car.

That may have happened had the loser had anything of value, but his only asset was a lengthy criminal record for low-grade stuff but as the wreck was his third strike after the three strikes thing came out in some states, he got a rather longish custodial sentence.

So that was me screwed.  It was just the straw the broke the camel's back in my case, though, back in the dot.bomb years.

I think the government needs to give full-time college students an affordable option for health care.

When I was at college, I stepped on broken glass and wound up with 40 stitches in the ER. Three days later I received a bill for $500 and was amazingly relieved until I realized the bill was just for the x-rays! I got a follow up bill for $1,500 the next week.

Incidentally, the job I worked at the time kept full time employees at 34 hours a week so they wouldn't have to offer insurance benefits to us.

I think most of the new bankruptcies laws are a bad idea.

On the other hand, they did make it almost impossible for rich people to go buy an expensive house in a state like Florida and then declare bankruptcy right after.  Most states have a maximum amount your house can be worth before you have to sell it, but not Florida.  That is what OJ did. 

Incidentally, the job I worked at the time kept full time employees at 34 hours a week so they wouldn't have to offer insurance benefits to us.

That's not an uncommon practice.

 :\\\'(

I was recently in the hospital for four days, have no health insurance, and now owe the hospital $9,000.  I'm a college student, work part time, and survive on around $200 a week. I'm in total shock. I don't know how I'm ever going to pay it off. When I first opened the bill, I was literally sick. That was a few days ago, and I still cry just thinking about it. :\\\'(

I worked for the government Medi-caid office for a few years in California, not sure where you are, but if this hospital visit was less than 3 months ago, you should be able to still apply for for retroactive coverage of medicaid. There is a formula they use,  and you will only be responsible for a portion of the bill if you qualify. Worth taking a trip to the county medi-caid office.