When Your Medical Debt Becomes Too Much
What Are Your Options?
When you are facing a medical emergency, the last thing on your mind is the financial implications of hospital stays, medical procedures and treatments. However, once the dust settles and the bills start coming in, you may find yourself facing another kind of crisis.
Can Medical Debt Be Discharged in Bankruptcy?
The short answer is yes; medical debt is considered non-priority unsecured debt and can be discharged in bankruptcy. While you cannot target medical debt in bankruptcy, this process can help lower payments or eliminate the debt altogether.
Understanding Bankruptcy
There are two main types of bankruptcy, including Chapter 7 and Chapter 13. While both types address large debt, the way they work is quite different.
With Chapter 7 bankruptcy, the court considers what you owe and what income and assets you must put toward your debt. With this route, you are likely to have to sell some of your belongings, including property or vehicles, to satisfy your debt. The whole process takes about six months, and in the end, your eligible debts are forgiven. Your credit report reflects the bankruptcy for a decade, making it difficult to get a mortgage, a car loan or a personal loan.
Chapter 13 assesses what you owe, your income, assets and comes up with a repayment plan to make the debt more manageable. In most cases, monthly payments do not exceed 15% of your income. This process can stretch out for years, and certain criteria must be met.
Other Options for Handling Medical Debt
Bankruptcy is an extreme measure that has long-lasting implications on your credit. Fortunately, there are other options for tackling medical debt.
Review Your Bills
Medical bills can be daunting, and if you are like most people, the number you focus on is the total amount you owe. However, auditing your bills and looking for errors such as double charges, fees for services not ordered nor received, can knock hundreds or thousands of dollars off the bill.
Negotiate Costs
In some cases, you may be able to work with your medical provider to get lower costs for services. Some providers have sliding fee schedules for income-qualifying patients, especially those who do not have health insurance.
Investigate Financial Assistance Options
Local agencies such as charities and Community Action Partnerships often have emergency assistance for income-qualifying individuals facing medical debt that they cannot pay.
Talk to Your Medical Provider
Some providers would rather work out an affordable payment plan than send the debt to collections or see it end up in bankruptcy.
Preventing Medical Debt with Nevada Insurance Enrollment
While you cannot always avoid a medical emergency, health insurance can help ensure that your medical bills do not become too much to handle. At Nevada Insurance Enrollment, our health insurance agents help you evaluate your health needs and budget and determine what policies are right for you.
Recent Posts
What Determines My Health Insurance Premium?
Your health insurance premium amount isn’t random. A variety of factors affect how much you’ll pay every month for your coverage. Under the ACA, there are only a handful of things that can affect your health insurance premium.
How Getting Married Affects Your Health Insurance
Getting married means lots of conversations about combining everything from last names to bank accounts. While picking a health insurance plan that covers both of you may seem practical, there are cases in which maintaining separate policies makes more sense.
How to Save Money on Prescriptions
If you are among the 55 percent of Americans that are taking a prescription drug, you may be concerned about the affordability of medication therapy. Fortunately, there are a couple of things that you can do to ease the financial burden.
Search This Website
Most Popular Pages
By page visits (this month)
#1) Health Insurance Subsidy Chart
#2) Health Insurance
#3) Health Insurance WITH a Subsidy
#4) Insurance Blog
#5) Request a Quote
Top 5 Most Popular
By page visits (this month)
#1) Health Insurance Subsidy Chart
#2) Health Insurance
#3) Health Insurance WITH a Subsidy
#4) Insurance Blog Posts
#5) Request a Quote
Recent Posts
How To Surrender Your Vehicles License Plates
Every state has its own laws for what you should do with your license plates if you sell your vehicle or cancel your auto insurance policy. In some states, you are allowed to keep personalized and vanity plates, but you must turn in regular license plates.
Why You Shouldn’t Ignore Vehicle Recalls
If you get a recall notice in the mail, read the letter carefully. It describes the issue and outlines any risk that it poses or warning signs that you should pay attention to. It also gives you a timeline within which you have to schedule an appointment with a licensed dealer to have the issue taken care of.
Should You Upgrade Your Cars’ Headlights?
Regardless of your age, headlights that work well can help you stay safe while driving in the dark. Over time, your headlights may lose their intensity. Replacing worn headlights with new ones can help you see better at night. There are three main types of headlights, each with benefits and drawbacks.
Items You Should and Should NOT Keep In Your Car
If you spend a lot of time in your car, it can feel like a home away from home. In many cases, it makes sense to leave some items in your car in case of an emergency. On the flip side, some things should never be left in your car, especially when it is hot outside.