Bankruptcy

Devastating Effects of Medical Debt

By meaghano

DrSteveB over on Daily Kos has a sobering look at that dramatic ways in which uncontrollable medical bills can change a life.

DrSteve gives us the tale of a man in Texas who was living his dream - married, owned his own company, had health insurance - until a car accident radically altered his life and left him homeless.

The medical bills quickly blew past what his insurance would cover.  The owner and driver of the other truck did not have insurance, like 10-20% of vehicle owners despite the mandate to buy auto insurance, so Mr. Benson and his insurance company were unable to go after that source.

I’ve been doing some research on medical debt and bankruptcy lately, and this story was heartbreaking. Sadly, it shares much in common with many of the people who run into serious financial problems following an illness or injury.

Medical bills can quickly become overwhelming, even for the insured. If you need serious health care, the financial fallout is often more than just another bill.

Many people lose significant work time because of illness or injury. The new bills and loss of income may put strains on their mortgage or lead to an increased reliance on credit cards, which can also get out of hand quickly.

Fortunately, DrSteve’s story has a happy ending:

Eventually, he wound up in a shelter, and eventually he was able to put his professional chef skills to work in the “soup kitchen.”  From that he has worked his way back to sobriety, fulltime employment and housing.

If you’re facing severe medical debts, don’t wait to take action. If you need to get your debt under control, know that help is available.

Full post as published by The Bankruptcy Blog on July 01, 2009 (boomark / email).