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Have medical bills that you are not able to pay? Don’t worry. There are government and non-profit organizations that offer grants for medical bills.
Firstly, remember that you are not the only one looking for what happens if you don’t pay medical bills. You are in the company of some 137 million Americans. This problem is so common that medical debt is the number one source of debt collection, which combines the beating of credit cards, utilities, and auto loans.
Being unstable to afford the cost of your medical bills is a stressful situation. But there are many actions that you can take to tackle medical debt. And no matter how impossible, these actions are worth taking. We have researched well and found some steps to answer the question.
What Happens If You Don’t Pay Medical Bills?
Before knowing the steps that we should take if we aren’t able to pay our medical bills, we should know what happens if we don’t pay our medical bills. The worst thing we did was ignore the debt. This is not at all the right way.
It’s better to talk with the hospital or debt collector than to ignore them, as this behavior may lead to some severe damage. We discuss further what happens if you don’t pay your medical bills.
Your Debt Gets Sent To The Collection Agency
When you cannot pay your medical bills on time, they sell the debt to the collection agency. After that, you will start getting calls and emails from them to pay your medical bills.
Collections On Your Credit Report May Ruin Your Credit Score
Debt collectors report your collections of yours to credit bureaus. And it may lead to lower your credit score by a substantial amount. And this, in turn, could finish your hopes of buying or renting a home.
You Could Be Sued For Not Paying Medical Bills
Suppose the hospital and debt collectors are unable to collect your debt. Then, they could take some legal action against you for not paying medical bills. And we know that lawsuits are more expensive and put an emotional burden on your medical debt.
You May Lose The Portion Of Money You Earn In Future
Ignoring the calls and emails from debt collectors is not the right way to deal with medical bills. If you don’t have money and lose a lawsuit, you could have your wages garnished. This simply means a portion of the money you earn in the future will be taken away from you and given to the creditor to whom you owe money.
Steps To Conquer-If You Don’t Pay Your Medical Bills
As we discussed above, there are some ways to tackle it if you can’t pay your medical bills. And these actions are worth taking. So, instead of ignoring the calls and emails from debt collectors, take steps to tackle your medical bills. These steps will help you to reduce your medical debt. So, let’s begin.
Review Your Medical Bills And Ask Questions
Never assume that your medical bills are accurate. As many medical bills contain errors. For example, duplicate billing for the same service. And sometimes, excessive charges and ambiguous titles make it difficult for a patient to understand the bill quickly. You may be getting similar bills from different providers for past procedures.
Take Help of Medical Grants
You can take help of cherity & government Programs, Many health programs running by federal to help People. If you’re fit in there requirements category they will help you. The website like Medical Grants Help publish all the latest information of government medical programs. You can oftenly visit there website & keep your self updated.
Consult the bluebook value
Every medical procedure has a bluebook value, like a vehicle. These values are the amounts the hospital and each doctor will accept as payment for a medical practice. So, for example, a hospital may charge your one price to one insurance company twice the price for the same procedure. And because of that, patients who don’t have any insurance end up paying more. So, check the cost.
Negotiate Your Medical Bill Debt
If you can pay off your medical debt quickly, ask a doctor for a prompt pay discount. And if you can’t afford to pay, try explaining to the hospital or doctor that you need some deal or financial assistance.
Use Your Home Equity To Pay Off Medical Debt
Suppose you put some or all of your medical bill debt onto the credit cards, transforming a no-interest bill situation into potentially high-interest debt. Then, consider using the home equity that you have built up in your home to pay off medical bills.
Consolidate Your Medical Debt
One another option is to take a personal loan for debt consolidation. This will allow you to manage a single monthly bill instead of uncountable letters, notices, and medical bills. But, again, check the online loan’s interest rate that does not exceed the potential of being charged by your original creditors.
Government Grants For Medical Bills
Some government and other non-profit organizations help people with grants for medical bills. The government runs a lot of programs to help needy and low-income people. And here are some that will help you with medical bills.
Medicare
Medicare is a popular federal government program that provides medical insurance to seniors over 65. Also, some younger people with disabilities. Its different medicare programs cover various types of medical needs. However, you must meet the eligibility criteria to get the benefits of Medicare Programs.
Extra Help
It is an extension of Medicare that allows people to get extra help with their prescription drug costs that are not typically covered by the actual medicare plan. You also have to meet their qualifications to get assistance from this program.
SSI
SSI stands for supplemental security income. General funds from the US treasury fund it. It differs from the other social security benefits because it is not employment based. It is paid on the first of the month to qualified recipients.
Health Insurance Marketplace
The affordable care act which is popularly known as Obamacare. It provides access to health insurance for those who have previously gone without, including those who can’t access the insurance through employment. You can read this guide for how to get insurance to pay for tubal reversal. to approve all other insurance claim approval.
- Medicaid
- Medicaid is another popular program that provides health care coverage to low-income people. Also, it is the largest insurance provider in the United States. We are currently assisting more than 70 million Americans.
CHIP
- CHIP stands for Children’s health insurance program. It provides low-cost medical help to those who can’t qualify for Medicaid but can’t afford private insurance. It works with Medicaid and helps families with children cover the expense of medical needs.
Wrapping It Up…
Many low-income people aren’t able to pay their medical bills. But we assure them that they are not the only ones who can’t be able to pay medical bills. This article discussed what happens if you don’t pay medical bills. And some practical steps that one should take to reduce their medical bills. Also, some government grants for medical bills require qualifications to help low-income families and senior citizens. Thanks for reading.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q.1 What Happens if you don’t pay the medical debt?
Ans: When a medical debt goes unpaid, the hospital or the doctor assigns it to the collection agency. And the worst scenario can occur if they could be sued for unpaid medical bills.
Q.2 How Do insurance companies verify medical bills?
Ans: Submit the form and medical records to TPA. TPA will inspect all the documents. Once approved, the insurance company will settle the hospital bills, excluding phone charges, food, attendant charges, etc.
Q.3 Why do medical claims get rejected?
Ans: some common causes for claims being rejected are non-disclosures, partial disclosures, and false disclosures of crucial details such as the nature of the occupation, age, income, significant ailments, current insurance, or pre-existing medical conditions.
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