Medical Debt Bankruptcy Exception Being Considered

[lrprn]

But the hospital itself charged me $20k for one night. Huh? Just $20k for being there? That's one expensive hotel stay...

Notice you didn't see a line on the bill asking for payment for any of the hospital staff, for the professional judgements they made deciding what treatments you needed to get better, for delivering those treatments, or for some of the actual treatments they provided to you. That's what you were charged $20K for.

That $20K day of yours paid for the nurses, the therapists, the pharmacists, any physicians who were hospital employees, and everyone else - even the housekeepers - that took care of you or provided you services while you were in the hospital.

As a nurse, you just hit one of my hot buttons. I'm so tired of so many people thinking that their hospital "room bill" is just for lying there like you were in a hotel. Couldn't be farther from the truth.

[lrprn]

They are doing this so that doctors will support this ghastly health care bill and they'll take this off the table.

Actually all this bill would do is make it easier for folks who need to file bk because of overwhelming medical bills to file without losing their homes. The doctors and all the other healthcare-related folks who are owed the money aren't going to get any more back than they do now if it passes.

Your government at work... bunch of crooks.

Many in government - especially Congress - are crooks, but some are not and are trying to do the right thing against all odds.

The right question to ask is why do we citizens keep voting the crooks who vote for things not in our best interests back in? We have only ourselves to blame. When will we wake up, see past the lies and mis-information trumpeted by both sides, and do something about it?

[Penny Less]

Notice you didn't see a line on the bill asking for payment for any of the hospital staff, for the professional judgements they made deciding what treatments you needed to get better, for delivering those treatments, or for some of the actual treatments they provided to you. That's what you were charged $20K for.

That $20K day of yours paid for the nurses, the therapists, the pharmacists, any physicians who were hospital employees, and everyone else - even the housekeepers - that took care of you or provided you services while you were in the hospital.

As a nurse, you just hit one of my hot buttons. I'm so tired of so many people thinking that their hospital "room bill" is just for lying there like you were in a hotel. Couldn't be farther from the truth.

I got billed by all of the nurses and staff separately - I think I got 10 bills total including the lab work, pharmacy, etc all completely separate. Even the individual doctors and nursing organizations billed me separate including the people who admitted me at the front desk and the person who discharged me. The hospitals line items were only for the area I occupied - part of the day in one area, part in another. I got double billed for the pharmacy but it was only $100 and maybe there was some overlap like you said.

So when I asked the hospital why so high considering all the other bills they said alot of it was just administration and it was high only because I didn't have health insurance. They even offered to waive 75% of it no questions asked if I paid the rest in full immediately.

I couldn't afford that unfortunately...and their offer was only for their one bill, not the staff, pharmacy, or equipment bills.

I'm glad I'm filing soon. I have this irrational fear that they might make medical bankruptcy harder after whatever the obama stuff that's going right now passes. Personally I'm going to be moving back to Europe once I get things wrapped up here and the holidays pass. It's easier to get good care and the taxes / charges are so much lower.

[nc73]

The grass is always greener on the other side. We did move to another country (UK) and while the health insurance is great, everything else sucked. I wish we would have never moved. Even when you've done your research, you won't know it until you're finally living there.

This is why as soon as this is over, I am heading overseas. The American dream is now literally a dream for most. While I was researching a number of countries, I was shocked to see just how high the standard of living is for many in other countries. What you described above is certainly not the norm in a number of countries.

I will also start with a brand new credit profile overseas

[Flamingo]

When we discharge medical debt, it only screws the hospitals and doctors. Once again, the insurance companies lose nothing. When a hospital or doctor saves someone's life, the last thing I want to do is screw them over.

Medical debt is why a public option is imperative in this country. Rather than everyone else losing, it's about time the insurance companies lose.

If managed care via insurance companies did not come into play in the past with the extreme rise of medical and hospital costs, anyone hospitalized would have had to file bankruptcy cause you could not afford to pay the bill. This is not all about insurance companies; insurance companies contract with hospitals and doctors to provide way lower costs for hospitalization, tests and visits. Example, a hospital's charge for a surgery without someone having insurance is $30,000. Unless one had $30,000 in savings to pay for the surgery one is left on the verge of BK if there are no other funds to cover that amount. If one had insurance coverage and that hospital is part of the insurer's/insured's coverage and plan, you may pay a $100 deductable for inservice care and that is all except your monthly premiums for the insurance. The insurance company would pay a much lower contracted rate for that surgery to the hospital than the $30,000 billed to you (and I mean WAY lower).

Hospital and doctor costs are extreme and I read in either Newsweek or Time several months ago that a doctor's office is the most profitable office of any business.

[Penny Less]

I wouldn't move to the UK. I lived in Portugal last year which was wonderful - great weather - $400 a month uninsured medical costs down to $100 a year.

[keepmine]

People residing in Portual and the UK who are not citizens can get health coverage?

[shabam]

I was thinking of Canada or Australia.

Due to their great weather, high standard of living and low unemployment, I am leaning towards the land downunder.

[lovebirds]

I know when I lived in France, I didn't have health insurance so I had to pay but the costs were so reasonable. Like when my grandparent's were 20-year olds reasonable. If you are a resident of Franch you pay 20% unless you have a chronic condition, make very little money, or have secondary health insurance. But that 20% is off of an already super low fee (compared to the US).

It would be a great luxury for our citizens to be able to heal stress-free without thinking of the bill. Although I have group insurance, I await the day where my company will deny my major claim as they did my husband.