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Medical bills - advice please?
DirtyDirtyVagrant
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I've got a few hospital bills (totalling $10,000+) because of my recent...activities.
I have no ability to pay these bills. I was admitted after trying to hurt myself and placed on psychiatric holds.
Is there anything I can do? The hospital seems insistent that they've already appropriately 'discounted' me for being uninsured. I'm feeling pretty backed into a corner, here.
I have no ability to pay these bills. I was admitted after trying to hurt myself and placed on psychiatric holds.
Is there anything I can do? The hospital seems insistent that they've already appropriately 'discounted' me for being uninsured. I'm feeling pretty backed into a corner, here.
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also, you may (depending on age/state) be able to get state assistance which can sometimes retroactively help pay.
The hospital should have counselors to help you.
best of luck!
edit: hmmm they've already got you on spend down?!
still talk to a counselor at the place if you haven't. Then apply for every state sponsored hardship type thing you can find.
You have to call and ask specially though, they wouldn't have done it automatically.
because that has a major influence on what kind of assistance you can get
If you above the poverty line, you're headed to collections pretty much
When I was in college I had my appendix removed and the hospital tried to charge me like 5k for an overnight with a saline IV drip. My surgery and stay were not covered by my insurance which had a $10k deductible. My father is a physician he called the doc, and paid her what she said was fair. The hospital was grossly overcharging me on the bed and IV and would not come down on their pricing.
I ended up writing them a letter saying that my parents wouldn't pay their price and that I, as a student, was unable to pay their price. However, as a gesture of good faith, I would mail them a check for $20 every month. I did this for about a year. The expense never hit my credit score and I didn't get harassing calls from the hospital.
You should definitely see what resources are available to you, but also check and make sure you're not getting ripped off because you are self-paying.
$10,000 is an incredibly large bill even.
How long was your admission? Were you on any medication?
Since when? This was certainly not the case in 2006.
However, the letter thing does work. When I was stuck with a >30k bill, I sent them a check for $500 with a letter explaining what the deal was, and they gave me a pretty heavy discount. Sill way more than 10k, but better than nothing
Today I have no debt and the marks are gone from my credit
I am far below the poverty line, essentially surviving on nothing more than the good graces of others.
Was true in 2002... I guess I haven't really checked up on this since. I guess I'm old
has anyone explained why you don't qualify for medicaid
In 2006 my 20k hospital bill was sent to collections and that was on my credit score. i then had to petition to have it removed after I paid it off
the "hospital debt doesn't count" I believe is an urban legend because it has absolutely counted for me
I had not yet been approved during my hospitalization.
you don't not get medicaid because they couldn't file the paperwork in time
if you truly make $0, then you are the intended recipient of medicaid. you should be calling and knocking on every door on that avenue to find out about coverage
that's pretty much your only ticket
E: It sounds like you were in the process of medicaid application when you were hospitalized, so you should probably be covered.
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