Living without health insurance is stressful. Getting hurt or sick and needing medical care that you can’t afford is even worse. It’s something that I worry about every day, personally. If you do rack up medical debt, though, it isn’t the end of the world. You may owe the hospital a fair chunk of change, but there are a number of ways to deal with that debt before it can ruin your life.
Many hospitals will work with you to arrange a payment plan or settle a debt, because of the high number of cases that they simply will never see any payment whatsoever for. But some will even go a step further. Every hospital has a financial aid or charitable department attached to their billing office. Depending on your income, you may qualify for the financial aid to simply wipe your slate clean, or at least cover a portion of your fees. Most financial aid offices have very specific qualifications: You must have used up all other resources at your disposal (insurance, public medical benefits) and, for aid to cover the entirety of your bills, your annual income must not exceed 200% of the federal poverty level.
Now, all of this is not a solution to the healthcare crisis, and it certainly isn’t a substitute for insurance — but, if you’re in a situation you just can’t see your way out of, this options can help you deal with that debt, and give you one less thing to worry about.
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One Comment
Write a Comment»Great info, I’m sure there are plenty of people in those situations where they are in debt up to their ears. We really need some relief for this healthcare crisis, there is no reason why people should be left bankrupt just because they got sick.
It is time that we got together and put some pressure on Congress to do something about this situation…
Thanks