[educatedhorse_2005]

I have 32,000 in medical bills and now way to pay them off
I can barely afford to feed my kids let alone these medical bills
I have the title to one car and nothing else
I just received a summons to appear in court on the 26 of January
I already have one garnishment they are taking out of my checks right now
Can they take another 25% out or do they have to wait for the one to get done

If I decided to declare bankruptcy which chapter do you suggest
Thank you
Demon

[lilfyre]

I can not help you with what chapter to file, but I can tell you they can only do one garnishment at a time. I know that you can sent as little as 5.00 a month, as long as you make an attempt to pay they can not do anything to you. And they can not refuse the payment, I went through this years ago, My significant other was having trouble with the bottle and kept losing his jobs, we fell deeper and deeper in debt, we were garnished more than once, in the end we did file chapter 13, my lawyer told me they can not refuse a payment no matter how small. I wish that I could have been more help to you.

[RickJ]

In creditors eyes a Bankruptcy is a Bankruptcy. A chapter 13 (where you make payments to pay the creditors off) is no better for your credit report than a chapter 7 (which wipes the slate clean).

If you can go Ch.7, I'd suggest it (if you've well thought out your options and end up going Bankruptcy).

[Dr D]

I agree with rick j; Chapter 7 is the only way to go. If you go Chapter 13 you will be an indentured servant for years to come. Sometimes in our lives we encounter obstacles that even the best intentions cannot overcome.

I wish you the best.

[CaptainForest]

I agree. Go with Chapter 7 Bankruptcy.

A new law that came into effect in Oct 2005:
You can only claim Chapter 7 Bankruptcy if you make less income than the mean (average) income in your state. If you make more than the average, then you can only file Chapter 13.

Since you are having troubles feeding your kids, my guess is you make less than the mean (average) income of your state. In which case, you would qualify for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy.

But remember, you need to change your habits after bankruptcy or you will be right back in the same situation.

[educatedhorse_2005]

Thank you for your replies
I already have changed my habits I got a job with health benefits

[California Guy]

i have 32,000 in medical bills and now way to pay them off
i can barely afford to feed my kids let alone these medical bills
i have the title to one car and nothing else
i just received a summons to appear in court on the 26 of january
i already have one garnishment they are taking out of my checks right now
can they take another 25% out or do they have to wait for the one to get done

if i decided to declare bankruptcy which chapter do you suggest
thank you
demon

I am in the same boat as Demon. Only about 2-3 times higher of a bill. But I have another question. What property does bankruptcy protect?

[JoeCanada76]

CaptainForest,

How can she change habits after bankrupty. They are medical bills she is talking about, right. Here in canada you do not need to pay because it is covered but in the states all medical situations is not covered. It costs an arm and a leg and medical care is more important then how much you owe at the end.

Just my thoughts.

Joe

[CaptainForest]

Joe,

What I meant by my comments were basically that if one was to declare bankruptcy, one must learn from their actions or else they might repeat their mistakes.

In this case, the medical bills got out of control. Living in America, should buying medical insurance not be a top priority? Is there enough money in savings to help out by paying off these medical bills once you accrue them?

Each case is different, but if you do not have medical insurance, should you really be having a $5 Starbucks coffee everyday? Instead, put the money into insurance or the bank. As you know, prescriptions here in Canada aren't free. My drug plan only covers 80% of the cost. So when I have to buy medicine, I am on the hook for 20%. Granted, our costs are less, but the concepts are still the same.

When I go to buy the medicine, do I have the money in the bank to pay for it? If I don't, then I will have to use my credit card. But it is better to give up on a $5 coffee or driving 2 minutes to the store when I could walk and save the gas money than having to wrack up credit card debt.

[talaniman]

Here in America insurance will cost you a lot more than just a starbucks coffee my canadian friend,even with on the job benefits you'd be hard pressed to come up with the cash to payoff medical bills.Many of our seniors and poorer people often have to make a decision to buy medicie cut their pills in half or pay rent or a high-a** heating bill,so this is no laughing matter here.Even with the new reforms proposed by GWB,you'd pass out if you knew how much seniors especially have to pay for there prescriptions,We're talking hundreds of dollars per month.How long do you think your savings will last with these types of obligations?We in America are the highest consumer of presciption drugs and are also the sickest people on the earth,go figure! :cool:

[CaptainForest]

Seriouslly?

Wow, I didn't realize it was that bad in the US.

[Fr_Chuck]

seriouslly?

wow, I didn't realize it was that bad in the US.

Let me see, my son's medical insurance costs us 155 dollars a month, it pays 80 percent of his medical bills after we pay the first 300 dollars.
It does not cover dental or eye glasses. It will pay 80 percent of his drug costs ( he is 5 years old and it will cost more as he get older)
It went up from 130 last year.

My wife and I have insurance though where we work. We pay 350 dollars each ( 700 dollars) for both each month) for the insurance for the both of us. If we did not get it though our employer because of my wife's health she could not even get any. Health insurance is not automatic, ifyou have bad health the company will normally cancell you after paying for a large bill or two.

I also pay for dental and vision insurance. My insurance payment is almost 1000 a month just for health insurance. And I still pay about 3000 a year out of my own pocket for costs they don't cover.

So first many people can't get insurance and a person making 6 bucks a hour (320 a week) by the time they pay rent, electric and so on, well they can't even pay rent and live, so insurance is just not a option.

I don't know the numbers of a large majority of people today just can't afford insurance any longer.

My last last patient surgury ( I went in and out same day) was over 10,000. My insurance pad 7200 I had to pay the rest, they required 500 dollars of it before I could be admitted. If I could not have paid the 500, I would have been turned away till I could, even with the rest of the insurance.

Then of course we have car insurance and house insurance, and of course life insurance. So basically I pay out about 1200 in insurance payments each month. More than some people make a month.

[CaptainForest]

Wow.

I didn't realize it was that much.

Here in Canada, medical expense out covered by the government.

Drugs and the Dentists are not though (and extra coverage at hospitals... 4room is what the govt gives you, you can get a semi or single room though for money).

I have insurance to cover drugs/dentist and it costs me about $200/year and they cover 80%.

[JoeCanada76]

Yes, Captainforest. I guess you realize now that we have it way so much easier up here in Canada. I would never want to get sick in the states. They will let you die if you can not pay for medical intervention or let you rack up medical bills and then go after you for it until you claim bankrupty. It is a sad state. Hopefully we never in Canada get there. but someday I am sure it will if changes are not made to the present system.

[educatedhorse_2005]

I don't drink coffee
I just had another visit to the doctor in December I was there for a stress test on my heart it lasted 30 minutes and is going to cost me 1500 dollars
And that is after my new insurance company picked up 80% of it. And if you have that much in savings you are doing better then me

I pay about a 150 for medicine a month
After my insurance pays there share of it

[Fr_Chuck]

Yes sorry, I got off track, to the original post, if the majority of your bills are medical and credit cards, a chapter 7 would be best, but without looking at all your debts it is hard to say for sure.


And back to the follow-up follow up. Yes I went to the dentist yesterday, I have three teeth real bad, they want about 1500 dollars a tooth, total of about 3500 to fix the three teeth. Don't want to have them pulled but I don't have near that much money and if I did, it would be owed to someone else first.

[blustar8i8]

I'm not sure about the whole bankruptsy deal but in america you can also turn your medical bills over to social services, and they will more then likely pay something if not all medical bills. It's a long process but it avoids bankruptsy, and you don't have to pay it back. I would explain to my doctor or hospitsal about not being able to pay the bills and get a recommendation from them to send to social services. That way it makes it look like you are trying everything you can to pay this debt off. I know all about medical bills. I've been there! I have over $80,000 in medical bills from when I was in and out of local hospitals and at hopkins for a month. Maybe that can help you out

[okholdon]

I'm not sure this will help since you've already been summoned to court for it. I have had problems with not being able to pay a lot of things. Creditors were calling me so much that I stopped bothering to answer the phone. I was fired from a high paying job and lost my car, almost lost my house, couldn't pay off credit cards, and had high medical bills to pay. I was talking to a friend one day about it and he happened to mention that he used to be a debt collector... :mad: I wanted to bite his head off but luckily I didn't. He informed me that even though they tried to say I had to pay a certain amount a month, they were lying. If you send them $1 a month, they can't bother you. No more calls or letters and they can't take you to court. So that's what I did and then I slowly built up the money to pay them off one by one. It's only been 2 years and as of this day, I only have one bad thing on my credit, the car. I'm assuming it's because I paid them all off. I hope this helps someone.

[Calif Robin]

I'm collecting stories about families struggling with health insurance issues including out-of-control medical bills. If your in California and interested in sharing your story to help educate policymakers, check out 100% Campaign: Home.