Bitzi

No matter how much health insurance costs, DO NOT PUT IT OFF.
Don't waste time trying to justify the cost like I did....

My husband and I have just learned a horrible lesson.

Last Saturday he fell 22 feet off a ladder and broke his back and wrist.
Thank God he is alive.
He was airlifted by helicopter, had 6 hours of surgery, has been in ICU for 3 days and the bill to date is $460,000!!!!

We don't have health insurance, and even though it happened at work, due to some sneaky clause in his contract is not entitled to workers comp.
It is a nightmare. We may have to sell our home and E2 business to cover the costs..... all because I was "too busy" to drop off the forms which were completed and signed and just sitting in my bag for weeks. It's sickening....

MandyNi

Oh this is just awful, it makes me feel sick to the stomach just to think of it.

Hope your hubby makes a full recovery though - feels a bit cliched but like you say he is still with you.

Rete

I am so very sorry to read of your husband's accident and your whopping medical bill. Thank the good lord that he will be okay with time. I take it that he was not working for your business but working for someone else at the time of the accident. If you don't mind telling us, what was the sneaky clause that prevents his coverage under workman's comp? Was he working legally?

Keeping the faith and fingers crossed that the bills work themselves out to your advantage.

Englishtart

WoW!! I'm so sorry to hear about your hubbys fall, I hope he is doing ok. The bill is ridiculous, is there any way you can talk the insurance company down? Sometimes they will work with you if they know you have no insurance, but it's still going to be a big one!

I hope you don't have to sell up, good luck sweety

hobbes79

Holy crap.

I know of someone in a similar (though no where near as dramatic) a situation who required an emergency appendectomy and didn't have health insurance.

The cost was insane, but she established monthly payments. You'll need to look into it, but she had it established that the amount couldn't have interest on it since it's a medical bill. So she's paying off the bare minimum each month. The debt will still be there until the day she dies, but at least it's not crippling her.

That's a lot oh "he said, she said" baloney, but you should look into what's possible. As others have suggested, the total bill may be negotiable once they've established you don't have insurance.

AmerLisa

Yeah, I'm wondering that myself.....

Hope your husband is better soon. My bil fell last year, he is self-employed, but happened to be working for a company at the time because construction being what it isn't in California..... Anyway, he was completely covered, thankfully. He broke his foot in the fall and will be off work for a year recovering.

Family_Guy

There is no sneaky clause that can negate a statutory liability. Get the to a workers comp attorney asap. Legal status does not matter in regards to workers comp. My wife has practiced in this area for 24 years. Get a free consultation from a reputable lawyer who specialises in workers comp. I wish your husband a speedy recovery and hope life improves for you all soon.

lisa67

Hope your hubby is recovering well and that this can all be sorted out soon

Moonshadow_Girl

I am so sorry to hear about your husband. Ditto what the others said about getting a Worker's Comp lawyer to sort things out, and to talk to the health provider about their costs for those with no insurance.

Best of luck.

Elvira

What an absolute and total nightmare...

I hope your husband makes a full recovery and that you have the stamina to fight both the hospital and the Workers Comp bods.

AmerLisa

Why would you have to fight anyone if you're injured on the job? Hospitals are very aware of on the job injuries and how they are billed....

Speaking of which....my doctors take forever to bill me, maybe hospitals are faster....but how does the OP know how much her bill is in less then a week? Maybe the billing department works overtime or 24 hours around the clock now....

Scott33

Sorry to read about your plight. Hope it gets sorted out.

Perhaps something like this thread should be made a sticky for those who think they can move to the US on the cheap. Too many are not looking at how important medical insurance is here.

jumping doris

I hope everything works out for you.

Negotiate with the hospital and you will probably get the bill reduced. Also, go through every bill with a fine tooth comb.
My friend had twins and they spent a long time in special care and the bills were heading into the 1 million range.
When she started to look closely she was being billed outrageous amounts for things she hadn't had, eg. a daily amount of diapers when they were bringing in their own.

She hired a professional person who goes through the bills for you and acts as your advocate and they ended up with a much smaller bill.

Elvira

The Insurance Board at the US Motley Fool might be another useful resource for information and/or advice:

http://boards.fool.com/Messages.asp?bid=100156

Giantaxe

In my recent experience medical facilities are getting much more aggressive about billing and chasing those bills, presumably because so many of them are going unpaid in this economic climate. I recently had a copayment (for all of $15) outstanding, and was getting automated calls from a billing company several times a week. Last week - after, amusingly, they'd already cashed my payment - I got another snotty automated call asking me to confirm personal information so they could forward my debt to a debt collector. I hung up.