No medical insurance?

Question

I had pain in my lower right abdomen in january for 7 days. I went to the ER because I don't have medical insurance and someone told me they are good at working payment arrangments. I just got a bill for over 5 thousand dollars in the mail. I called and they said they would send me the paper work via mail to apply for payment arrangments, but I couldn't set it up over the phone. My question is, how good are hospitals (mine is in California) at working with people who don't have medical insurance and have a limited income? I am a full time graduate student so this may be difficult to pay back..

Answer 1

Good info about the Hill-Burton Act, it's worth checking into. Also, if you are in California, and you don't have much income, why don't you apply for Medi-Cal? It's not just for the illegal aliens around here, it's for everyone.

When I was a student long ago, I had a premature baby and my mom's insurance (which had covered me for the birth) refused to pay for my child's two week hospital stay. Even then it was $30,000 and I was in a panic since I had a year till I graduated from college. Well, since I was unmarried and had no income, a social worker at the hospital helped me apply for Medi-Cal. I was able to receive this retroactively for the last three months, and for the next year for my child and I.

After I got a job, they continued to cover me, even though I made decent money, until my health insurance because available through my employer. Now, I pay back my debt by donating my time serving the public here on Yahoo! Answers for free. No, just kidding. But seriously...

You must meet the income guidelines and they are strict. Applying through the hospital will be easier than applying at a Medi-Cal office since sometimes they have their own Medi-Cal worker onsite. However, the state of California will not want to give you Medi-Cal, in my opinion, if you are white and look like you have money, this process will take longer as they will be suspicious of you. But once you get in "the system" it's so easy to stay there. Medi-Cal is made for people like you who are in school, single moms, people who have fallen on hard times, in between job. You may as well try, what have you got to lose.

Go to the hospital and ask where the Medi-Cal office is, they will have one, probably on the first or lower floor. Meet with the worker there, bring your hospital bill and any information you have. See if they can help you. If you can't get your bill paid for, then while you are there, you can certainly go down to the accounting/billing department and see if you can work out a payment plan. Tell them you've already applied for Medi-Cal and it doesn't look promising but that you want to work things out, they are usually very accomodating. Most hospitals, especially ERs lose tons of money. They will be happy just to have someone making an effort, believe me.

I agree with the poster above that if you can't get Medi-Cal, you should try to get health insurance through your university or at very least the health insurance that covers you for catastrophic illness/injuries. Good luck!

Answer 2

Most creditors are reasonable about your inability to pay the bill in full, especially hospitals as long as you communicate with them.

Work out a budget plan and decide the minimum to maximum amount you can pay before making negotiations with the hospital. The creditor may ask for more than you intially offer to pay but once you reach the maximum of what you can pay stand firm and tell them that you can only pay ___ amount.

As long as the creditor agrees with the amount and accepts the payments, you should not have any problems.

Most creditors hate dragging people to court so they will usually accept whatever you offer as long as it is reasonable.

Just do not ignore the bill or skip payments because that will put you back to renegotiating a new payment arrangement and it can screw up you credit report.

I hope this advice helps and that you are feeling better.

Answer 3

Yes it may be difficult to pay back. The unfortunate part is that those who don't have insurance are billed for the full "list" price. Those with insurance have the benefit of their insurance company negotiating discounts and then, of course, the insurance pays most of it.

One of the best solutions if you don't have money is to get set up with the county or city hospital district. They can usually give you pro rated arrangements ahead of time based on your income. You might also investigate group insurance to purchase on your own. It is never wise to go without some type of health insurance. Perhaps your school can offer a group plan for students.

Answer 4

You might also ask about a cash discount, since hospitals frequently give a discount like this if you don't have insurance. I was waiting for my insurance company to get my paperwork from the employer and knew that I would be covered (backdated) but the hospital insisted on payment on front for an ultrasound I needed. They gave me an approx. 30% discount.

Also, I would recommend that you purchase health insurance through your school's plan. I'm sure they have it, and it's less expensive than you might think. Also, you can check out individual policies with high deductibles (in case something really bad happens to you) that are really more affordable than most people realize. Just open the phone book and call an insurance agent that lists "health insurance" in their product lines.

Answer 5

Medical insurance and life insurance are totally separate things. You don't state why you NEED life insurance, but medical is a must.

Answer 6

Our hospital (I am in Cali too) uses a program called "Care Credit" which has zero APR financing for situations such as yours. Call the billing department. One small hospital in Montana helped me when I had to have stitches by using a community assistance program, but I've never seen it elsewhere. It may also be possible that you qualify for California Medical Supplementation Program, which is low-income insurance. I am just not sure if it (or medi-cal) can be applied for retroactively. Maybe call the welfare office to ask.

Answer 7

There is an act called The Hill Burton Act that is what will help you. It all depends on which hospital, some match whatever payment you make with an equal one from themselves, some reduce a percentage, and some write off completely. I had a major surprise surgery last year, and lost my job because of the hospitalization, and was fortunate that the hospital wrote off $65,000 for the surgeries.

Answer 8

i had the same thing happen to me. I spent 2 days in the hospital with no insurance. I got a bill for over $10,000. If I did not pay it right away,they would have ruined my credit fico score. i had to borrow money to pay it. all of it. the insurance company would have gotten a discount. We really need to change out heath care system in the the US. but it will never happen. because BIG BUSINESS CANNOT MAKE ENOUGH MONEY TO BE MADE IN HEALTH CARE. NOW I HAVE HEALTH INS, BUT I JUST GOT A NOTICE THAT THEY (BLUE SHIELD) ARE CANCELING BECAUSE THERE ARE NOT ENOUGH PEOPLE IN MY GROUP FORTHEM TO MAKE MONEY. FUNNY THAT A POOR COUNTRY LIKE Cuba CAN AFFORD TO PROVIDE HEALTH CARE FOR ALL CITIZENS but a rich country like the US cannot.
SORRY FOR THE CAPITALS .

Answer 9

You might be able to make an appointment with a financial counselor at the hospital. Make sure you explain your situation, because sometimes they can help you with free care if you qualify.

I'm hoping you are feeling better now, and wish you luck in school, and with your bill.

Answer 10

They are fairly good according to a friend of mine. As long as you are truly trying to make good on what you owe and are at least making some sort of payments.