Photo Credit: paolo màrgari

Wall Street Journal had an article yesterday entitled, ‘Facing a Choice Between Home and Health Care‘ and it’s sad how the economic situation has affected many greatly. 

Medical bills trigger half of all bankruptcies according to MSN.

The findings indicate medical-related bankruptcies hit middle-class families hard — 56 percent of the filers owned a home, and the same number had attended college.

“Families with coverage faced unaffordable co-payments, deductibles and bills for uncovered items like physical therapy, psychiatric care and prescription drugs,” Himmelstein said.

What’s sad is that having health insurance isn’t a complete protection. As you review the MSN piece, you noticed that many of them do have coverage. If you don’t have health insurance, it’s a much bigger issue. My friend’s dad had tens of thousands of dollars in medical bills due to an injury. Even if you’re in college, please get health insurance.

Health insurance can be really expensive, but it can give you some protection. 

How to Handle Overdue Medical Bills

• Review you medical bills. Sometimes there are errors such as extra charges for procedures not done. A careful eye can decrease your debt. 
• Keep a record of all your communications. List who you spoke to, when you talked, and what you said. Keep all of the paperwork in ne easy to reach place. 
• See if the hospital you received care in has a charity program. It doesn’t hurt to ask and dig around. You may be able to get some of your bill written off. You usually have to show proof of income and jump through hoops to get aid, but I’d do if it could save money.
• Examine your budget from top to bottom. See if there are any expenses you can cut and if you can increase your income. Having the numbers in front of you can help you try and go get an affordable payment plan.
• Try to negotiate a payment plan. Based on what your budget examination showed you, request payments that are doable. Talk to a supervisor if the person you’re speaking to is unwillinglyto work with you. 
• Contact organizations that can work with you (See below). Read the rest of WSJ to see other organizations that can help.
• Keep working on your case. It’s going to be a long process and will most likely be tedious. Keep working at it.
• Check with a lawyer or the public library to see if there is a statute of limitations for your bills. This is a long shot, but if you are at risk of foreclosure, look into this as an option. 

Source: eHow

Please check out the Wall Street Journal to get more information. I’ve only highlighted a few things.

Groups that work with patients who have big medical bills:

• Access Project
• Patient Advocate Foundation
• Medical Billing Advocates of America
• Foundation for Health Coverage Education

Source: WSJ.com

If you have been through this and have succeeded, please leave advice to share with others. 

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