Michael

Well, I still think the hospital would be playing with fire if they didn't treat her and the baby died.

As far as whether they get billed or not is really not that important. With their current debt as well as the expected medical costs for delivery of the baby, they appear to be engulfed in debt and will probably have to file for bankruptsy anyway. You can't get blood from a turnip.

meauxna

This whole SSN thing is a red herring...she can walk into anywhere with cash and pay for her baby-keeping shot.
They have a bigger problems than her immigration woes.

Bob

bankruptcy won't get you out of medical debt these days though...

Michael

According to the 2005 bankruptsy law, these are the only non-discharageable debts.

• 1. certain taxes and fines;
• 2. debts arising out of fraudulent acts on the part of the debtor;
• 3. debts not mentioned by the debtor;
• 4. alimony, maintenance and support payments;
• 5. debts arising from a willful and malicious injury;
• 6. educational loans (cannot if not classified as undue hardship);
• 7. debts owed as a result of driving while intoxicated;
• 8. debts that were not discharged in prior bankruptcy proceedings; and
  certain debts arising from obligations to banks and similar institutions.
  In order to encourage debtors to make efforts to repay some debt, Congress has allowed a greater number of debts to be discharged under those chapters that require the debtor to set up a payment plan to repay a certain amount of the debt.

One of the major changes to the 2005 banckruptsy law was with item 8 which makes it more difficult to discharge credit card debt.

Some credit card companies made lobbying efforts at the federal level to tighten American bankruptcy law, making it harder to have credit card debts canceledRecently it was reported that Americans are paying off credit card debt more frequently, and this was attributed in part to the bankruptcy legislation supported by the companies.

Another change is that student loans discharges have become more difficult.

I don't see anywhere in the law were medical debt cannot be discharged. Medical debt is still one of the main reasons for banckruptsy in the US.

Bob

Yup, and the reason Bush changed it, went in last year, big news, lots of stink.

You'll have to pay whatever minimum you can afford, even if it's $5 a month till your dead sort of hassle.

Michael

I'm not sure where you are getting your information from but everything I read indicates that even the 2005 bankruptcy changes did not have any long term effects in the number of people that filed for chapter 7 bankruptcy. When the new law was passed, it had a requirement that people had to see a debt counselor first to determine if that person had the ability to pay off the debt by filing chapter 13. However, it was found that the amount of people that were eligible for chapter 13 was very small so most still filed chapter 7.

Initially there was a drop in chapter 7 filings but many suspect that was due to the fact that about 500,000 people filed for chapter 7 the 2 weeks prior to the new law going into effect (up from the normal 30,000-35,000 per week year). After the honeymoon was over later that year, chapter 7 filings returned back to the near normal 30,000-35,000 per week.

meauxna

Update to the story.
The community responded to their begging and the reporter still can't tell 'citizenship' from 'residency' so take it all with a grain of salt.

She is nowreceiving care for her high-risk pregnancy from Winnie Palmer Hospital. She also received the shot of Rhogam she needed to prevent her body from producing antibodies that could have killed her baby.

She is still working toward getting her U.S. citizenship but now has the help of a skilled law firm, which is offering its services for free. Turns out, Miriam was still filing forms she didn't qualify for.
<snip>
Miriam was able to submit a new citizenship application thanks to about $1,000 in community donations. U.S. Senator Bill Nelson is even working to expedite her work permit application, Uribe said.
<snip>
Two local churches have donated baby clothes for Amber, who is due in September. The couple has also received a crib, carriage and all the baby items they will ever need from a couple who learned about their story on WFTV Channel 9.
<snip>
There's one hurdle left — they have personal belongings in a storage container in Scotland, including personal papers, photos and their three children's toys. "It's our life, basically," Miriam said. She was quoted $4,000 to get the contents shipped to Oviedo.

<nervy!!>

ladyofthelake

Thanks for the update....was wondering what had happened in the end.

As far as the furniture goes, they are using and abusing people's generosity. It wasn't a priority to bring it over when they came, and they've done without it for 3 years, so let it stay there, I say.

Bob

cheeky buggers...

HoosierDaddy

What is it? A Sterlite tote box?

ionaskye

I have never heard anything like it, It alway makes me laugh when I hear these stores that are so untrue about the U.S.

I agree if you need medical help there are free clinics here and public hospitals ,

meauxna

The latest in the Miriam Beck family saga...

Immigrant still fighting to stay
(excerpted)

The Becks welcomed a healthy baby girl into their family, but their immigration woes are not over yet.

The Voice first reported the story of Miriam Beck, who is married to an American citizen, in May when she was denied health care for her unborn child.

<uh, denied FREE health care for herself>

"Their case is pending and headed in the right direction," said Rebecca Morgan, attorney

<snip>

"It is a very long, sometimes heart-wrenching process for people in the U.S. who want to start their lives together and then they hit this big speed bump," she said. Innocent people such as Miriam get trapped in the system all the time because they aren't counseled on which forms to fill out.

<awwww>

The process for an immigrant to adjust their status based on marriage costs $2,000, and that doesn't include the cost of an attorney, document translations for non-English speakers and document copies, Morgan said.

Without a Social Security card, Miriam has been unable to work, leaving her husband Stuart, a carpenter, as the only income earner for them and their four children. "I can't work; there's no money," she said. "It's such a struggle."

It's almost been four years since they moved to Oviedo from Scotland for the American dream, she said. "We've come so far now … it seems like the end's just nowhere in sight."

<oops, The American Dream(tm) was recalled several years back now>

Beck Family Fund
Miriam Beck is nearing the finish line to become a U.S. Citizen but fees are holding up the process.

<bald faced lie, nowhere near being a citizen and the fees ...still begging for filing fees? yikes>

I guess I am still not very sympathetic.

Bob

Aye, should have moved back to scotland donkies back really...and with that...bugger...the baby has just fallen a sleep and I need to head out.