View Full Version : Broken arm - no health insurance
paulb
Sep 1, 2010, 01:54 PM
My girlfriend is visiting Canada - with plans to become a resident. Last week she broke her arm horseback riding. Her immigration status is still pending, so she does not have any health insurance in Canada...
The bill for the ambulance alone was $472.00, and the ER visit and follow ups with the Orthopedic surgeon are so far around $3000
I do not make a lot of money, and am going to end up bankrupt and or destitute very soon if I do not find some kind of financial assistance.
Any advice at all would be muchly appreciated.
beachloverjohn
Sep 1, 2010, 01:59 PM
So are you in Canada also?
paulb
Sep 1, 2010, 02:46 PM
Yes... I am
I am Canadian, so I have health coverage... for me
beachloverjohn
Sep 1, 2010, 02:52 PM
The reality of course is that you are not legally responsible for her medical bills. Am I correct in this, or are their some laws about sponsoring a visitor that I don't know about?
Fr_Chuck
Sep 1, 2010, 03:01 PM
Does she have health insurance from where she was from ?
But so she owes, it happens 1000's of time a day here in the US, after she is well, she sets up a payment plan with them
paulb
Sep 1, 2010, 03:15 PM
The reality of course is that you are not legally responsible for her medical bills. Am I correct in this, or are their some laws about sponsoring a visitor that I don't know about?
I realize I am not legally responsible - on the technical level - but she is my fiancée, we co-habitate, and she is in the process of immigrating to canada.
The fact she does not work currently, and lives with me, I think is going to implicate me as sharing in the burden of paying her hospital bills?
Or are you telling me, that because she is not yet a resident, we simply ignore these bills?
beachloverjohn
Sep 1, 2010, 03:30 PM
I am not saying ignore the bills. But it seems she will have to make some sort of payment plan that she can afford. If you don't have the money then that's the only option she has. Of course, you want to take care of her, but these things happen that is nobodys fault.
Fr_Chuck
Sep 1, 2010, 05:31 PM
First you living together does not make you anything but a sinner , ( LOL) sorry, it does not make you responsible for a penny of her debt.
I do understand as a loving partner you want to help her, so you can give her money for her to send to them over time, but you don't ever sign or agree to pay any of the debts.
And while you don't ignore them you can't go to jail for not paying, so you merely pay what you can, till you can arrange a payment plan with them.