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How does one qualify for assistance with hospital bills? We currently owe>$8000 for hospital stays, after insurance has paid.
I believe I read if you make under a percentage of the poverty level, you can qualify for a certain program to help write down your bills. Anyone know of this? BTW, these were all ER bills, not something we took on voluntarily, or with any time to prepare for such payments.
Last edited by MaryleeII; 04-09-2012 at 11:46 AM..
Reason: typo
The best way is to talk to the hospital BEFORE the bills are sent out....before or soon after admittance, when possible. They will work with you. Call their billing dept. and set up a payment schedule...they'd rather get something over a longer period, than nothing at all! I've found if you TALK to them, they will work with you. If you simply try to send them what you can, they get pretty nasty!
It depends on where you live and what your state offers. As I stated in another thread where the OP had been living in PA, there is a program here called Charity Care. I had to use it once myself. Basically when I had the ER visit I asked if there was help to pay the bill as I had 0 medical coverage, and it was a $2000 bill due to needing x-rays and cat scans. They had informed me of Charity care, which came to my home after the fact, to help me fill out the necessary paperwork. First it was run through the county assistance office, then if they didn't pay, Charity Care did. All you can really do is ask. Most places know that people can't pull $8k outta their butts.
Problem is, its owed to various places. No one place is owed that much, so it doesn't seem like we owe so much.Oh, well, either that or just send each $5/month. Problem with that, once the account goes over 6 months, they kick it out to collection, regardless of how much you've paid, and that ruins your credit. We went round and round with methodist Hospital of Houston for literally decades---no kidding! our agreement was to pay $175/month, we paid faithfully and on time. right at 6 months, they simply referred the balance to collection, it stayed on our credit report for years, although we were in complaince with the agreement MH agreed to. Might as well not have paid anything to begin with!
Probably varies by state. In the same office where you apply for food stamps. you can also apply for other forms of public assistance. One of the factors that are considered is your outstanding debt for medical bills still owed. You may qualify for assistance on that basis.
Go to the state welfare office, and jump through the hoops, and see what happens.
Isn't this ridiculous, we work, have insurance, and have to resort to a charity to pay the deductibles. We pay ~ $650/month for insurance for a family of 4, then we can't afford to use it
Well the general rule of thumb with insurance, is you get whichever plan has the out-of-pocket expenses (deductible + copay) you are most likely to afford paying. It stinks, but that's how it is.
If you -know- that an emergency would put you into a debt you can't pay, then you need to get a lower deductible, and pay more per month for the privilege. If a high deductible would be a harship, but still payable, then you have to weigh that hardship with the cost of the monthly fees, and decide if you'd rather have money be a bit tight every month, or if you'd prefer to take a second mortgage IF there's an emergency, and enjoy a little looser financial restrictions monthly.
I'd start by calling the hospital billing office(s). They may have programs to help you with your expenses. It can't hurt to ask.
Sorry you are going through this.
Well the general rule of thumb with insurance, is you get whichever plan has the out-of-pocket expenses (deductible + copay) you are most likely to afford paying. It stinks, but that's how it is.
If you -know- that an emergency would put you into a debt you can't pay, then you need to get a lower deductible, and pay more per month for the privilege. If a high deductible would be a harship, but still payable, then you have to weigh that hardship with the cost of the monthly fees, and decide if you'd rather have money be a bit tight every month, or if you'd prefer to take a second mortgage IF there's an emergency, and enjoy a little looser financial restrictions monthly.
We ARE taking the lowest deductible available! And really, thanks for your Einstein-equation, what are OOP ( out-of-pocket, for the less intelligent amongst us).
Also the OOP (refer to above equation) doesn't apply to all medical expenses. Things like copays for doctor office visits, prescription drugs, and certain tests, have no limit.
There again, we ARe taking the most expensive plan---with the lowest copays, etc, available.
Next time you can plan ahead for any medical procedures, consider Medical Tourism.
You are paying $8,000 a year for insurance, and in the end it is cheaper to not use it, but to go to India instead and pay full price there, which will be less than your deductible and copay.
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