medical bills?

tat2chic85 · March 2011

hi ladies!

i have a question on medical bills ...now that all is said and done the medical bills are rolling in like crazy and in huge amounts! My husband and I would love to buy a house in the near future and already one bill has gone to collections because I couldn't afford it! It is difficult for us to even make small payments on these but we will try! Anyone know anything about the impact of credit on these? If they do end up going to collections because you are not able to pay does it really hurt your credit? I seem to get controversial answers and don't know what to think! Thank you!

thelish · March 2011

I'm not sure about the impact on credit, but have you tried calling the hospital, doctors offices etc. Most will work with you on creating an interest free payment plan. Also, depending on your situation many have a sliding scale for fees especially if uninsured or underinsured. I was really surprised at home easy it was to work with the hospital etc. They have really worked to help us find a plan that will work for us. Good Luck!

theprincessPAT · March 2011

We are still paying bills from SD (step daughter). They have gone to collections a couple of times because DH's ex wasn't sending the bills for a while. I don't think they've affected DH's credit. We bought a house last February and his credit score was better than mine.

Call the hospital and dr offices. They can help you out and set you up on payment plans. With the hospital, too, even if you just pay $1, they have to accept it as a payment and it will prevent it from going to collections.

caitdana · March 2011

Depending on how little or how sick you LO was, they might be considered disabled and qualify for medicaid. It doesnt hurt to call your local social security office and see.

tat2chic85 · March 2011

thanks for the help and advice, ladies! i will try to pay just a bit each month just to keep them from collections and I will definitely call soc. security!

PeridotEyes · April 2011

I work in the industry. The #1 thing you can do for yourself is call the billing department and ask to set up a plan. They work with patients (NICU and Oncology especially) because the bills are so high. Being up-front, honest and polite will get you far. They'll set up a plan and you'll be protected. They should also be able to direct you toward medical assistance such as Medicaid, March of Dimes, and/or a personal social worker to handle your case.

ams8099 · April 2011

theprincessPAT:
We are still paying bills from SD (step daughter). They have gone to collections a couple of times because DH's ex wasn't sending the bills for a while. I don't think they've affected DH's credit. We bought a house last February and his credit score was better than mine.
Call the hospital and dr offices. They can help you out and set you up on payment plans. With the hospital, too, even if you just pay $1, they have to accept it as a payment and it will prevent it from going to collections.

Yup.

Irishsapphire · April 2011

With our hospital, for my labor and delivery bill, I was on a 12 month payment plan. There was one month where I could not pay the bill, so I was able to apply for financial assistance with our hospital. And then after the financial assistance was applied, they redid our 12 month payment plan at a lower rate. But recently when I asked for a reduction on the monthly rate, I was denied. So I am just going to have to pay the remaining payments.

I was really lucky that I applied for K01 medicaid --a secondary incurance when baby was in the hospital--he qualified because he was in the hospital for over 30 days. And the secondary insurance has taken care of a lot of bills.

medical bills?

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