Hey all, I’m British so I don’t really know the ins and outs of the US healthcare system. Apologies for asking what is probably a rather simple question.
So like most of you, I see many posts and gofundmes about people having astronomically high medical bills. Most recently, someone having a $27k bill even after his death.
However, I have an American friend who is quick to point out that apparently nobody actually pays those bills. They’re just some elaborate dance between insurance companies and hospitals. If you don’t have insurance, the cost is lower or removed entirely. Supposedly.
So I’m just asking… How accurate is that? Consider someone without insurance, a minor physical ailment, a neurodivergent mind and no interest in fighting off harassing people for the rest of their life.
How much would such a person expect to pay, out of their own pocket, for things like check ups, x rays, meds, counselling and so on?
Have those people actually lost everything or is it just some scheme to pay less?
Bankruptcy is an expensive and not-fun process. Basically, similar to what happens on death all creditors are carefully listed out and prioritized, assets beyond the bare minimum to live are liquidated to pay creditors what they can and of course the bankruptcy lawyers fees don’t help with the mountains of debt and costs. Certain debts cannot be discharged through bankruptcy so basically you trash your finances, mental health and credit for a shot at maybe being able to fix your finances with less debt payments
https://apnews.com/article/medical-debt-legislation-2a4f2fab7e2c58a68ac4541b8309c7aa
I’ll let you figure it out.
Some people kill themselves (either actively or by refusing treatment) so that their families won’t be in debt and will have a place to live, that’s how lost everything it can get.