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We can’t blame anyone that gets a little nervous heading into a clinic or hospital. It’s the poking and prodding, sticking out your tongue to “say ah” – and getting the bill.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau reported last year that there’s around $88 billion of medical debt in collections, and about 43 million Americans have medical debt on their credit report.
Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion – three major credit reporting companies in the U.S. – have eased how much medical debt impacts someone’s credit score. The companies no longer include medical debt that is paid off or less than a year old on a report.
But a medical bill can be plenty stressful before it goes to a debt collector. People often turn to crowdfunding sources like GoFundMe to help pay those costs when they get them.
Our series Life and Debt looks at the different ways debt shows up in our lives. We put together a panel to discuss medical debt in the U.S. and how we deal with it.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau reported last year that there’s around $88 billion of medical debt in collections, and about 43 million Americans have medical debt on their credit report.
Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion – three major credit reporting companies in the U.S. – have eased how much medical debt impacts someone’s credit score. The companies no longer include medical debt that is paid off or less than a year old on a report.
But a medical bill can be plenty stressful before it goes to a debt collector. People often turn to crowdfunding sources like GoFundMe to help pay those costs when they get them.
Our series Life and Debt looks at the different ways debt shows up in our lives. We put together a panel to discuss medical debt in the U.S. and how we deal with it.
Life and Debt: Getting the hospital bill
Posted from the1a.org
Medical
Health
Posted >1 y ago
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Good afternoon PO1 William "Chip" Nagel. Excellent post. Thank You for sharing this shipmate.
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Thankfully PO1 William "Chip" Nagel, I don’t sweat medical/hospital bills. My wife and I pay for a Medicare supplement through here retirement from the school system in GA, plus Tricare for Life.
Even after my hospitalization and surgery for the eye trauma in November I had nothing to pay.
Even after my hospitalization and surgery for the eye trauma in November I had nothing to pay.
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Been There, Done that, Years ago, I was out of work and had a hospital bill for my wife. I was broke but had money coming from my taxes. I tried to explain it to the hospital finance people but they didn't care and turned it over to a debt collector. I offered to meet the dept collector to personally have it out with him but he was a coward. When my tax money came in I paid the hospital. They said that it was turned over to collection. I informed them that I got the debt with them and would only pay them, not the debt collector. They took my money, paid in full. I hope that I screwed the debt collector out of his cut, The bill was about 600 bucks. I think that debt collectors rate alongside bounty hunters as the lowest form of scum of the earth To hell with both of them. Now I'm in the VA healht care system but still hate debt collectors
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