This has been an unbelievable month for medical expenses.
Just six weeks before your daughter’s scheduled hip labrum surgery you were all out to eat with the grandparents. This set of grandparents really loves on of the local Chinese restaurants, and while neither of your daughters are fans of the place you all agreed to go. With only rice and few pieces of chicken on her plate, your daughter got the strangest look on her face. She feared that she had eaten something that had peanuts. Her serious allergy left you with no options. In an unfamiliar town you had to go to the only hospital emergency room. As it turns out, that hospital was out of your network and the resulting bill was ridiculous. You initially tried to work with the payment office and they were certain that if you ran the bill through your daughter’s name, as a college student she would be able to get a significant reduction. Some six months later you have seen no reduction, but have received several late payment notices.
Fortunately, the hip surgery went as planned and between your insurance and her college’s athletic department insurance you had very little to pay.
Fast forward another two months and your family was again out to eat with your family after a tee ball game. This time your daughter got all of the way through the meal and home before she realized she was having a problem. Instead of her throat starting to scratch, this time her face started to turn red and her eyes began to swell. This time you were able to go to the hospital where she had her hip surgery, so she was able to get in care network at a place where they already had her records. In addition, at this hospital the doctor tried a different intervention and your daughter ended up having to stay for two hours, instead of the six hours she was in the hospital earlier in the summer.
Although the second peanut reaction was caused by peanut butter mixed in the enchilada sauce, a fact that was not included on the menu, compared to the cross contamination incident at the Chinese restaurant, this reaction was more serious, but the treatment was more affordable. Nothing could erase the fact, however, that you have a large amount of money due to a hospital in a small town two hours from your house.
Are You Seeking to Find Debt Relief from an Unusually High Hospital Bill?
Often times, there are one or two extreme situations that lead to the need for someone wanting to find debt relief. In many cases, the cause is a catastrophic medical emergency, or resulting high bills from having to go to a hospital emergency room on numerous occasions. Others find themselves seeking the advice of a bankruptcy law firm after losing a job. although we all know that we need to have as much as six months to a year of wages in savings, the bottom line is most people do not. Low cost bankruptcy attorneys attempt to find people a way to navigate a difficult financial situation and be able to return to a normal life in the shortest amount of time.
The need to find debt relief is always a stressful time, but if you are working with an experienced law firm you can find out what options are available. It may also come as some relief to know that you are not alone in the need to find debt relief. in fact, the latest research indicates that bankruptcies resulting from unpaid medical bills affected an estimated 2 million people in the U.S. during the year 2013 alone.
Consider these other statistics about how common some financial problems are:
- During 2013, there were a total of 333,626 Chapter 13 bankruptcies filed in the U.S.
- During 2013, there were a total of 8,980 Chapter 11 bankruptcies filed in the U.S.
- A Chapter 7 bankruptcy typically takes six months to complete.
- A Chapter 7 bankruptcy stays on a person’s credit report for 10 years after it is arranged.
- Although it can vary by state, Chapter 13 filings in Texas often costs less than $500 to begin a case.