 | Kelly Rice
Investigative Producer |
A month ago I was in a car accident. I wasn’t seriously hurt, but my wallet was when I opened my hospital bill. I owed close to $3800. My health insurance covered most of it, but I was left to pay just over $500.
I called the hospital to make payment arrangements because I don’t have that kind of cash lying around. The hospital offered three options : pay it off in 10 business days and I’ll get a 20 percent discount, work with a finance company and do 90 days same as cash after I put down $25, leaving me to pay the remaining balance over three months, or finance the entire balance at a 14 percent interest rate.
The reason I’m writing about this is because I know more and more consumers are turning to credit cards to pay medical bills. According to a survey by the Access Project, a consumer health advocacy organization, insured people who had medical debt had an average balance of $10,973. Of course the survey also says that uninsured people had higher levels of credit card debt with an average balance of $14,512.
Thank goodness my tax refund is on the way because I prefer to pay it off in 10 days and get a discount. But if I didn’t have my refund, I may have had to finance. If you’ve had a similar situation, please write me. I would love to hear from you.
ON THURSDAY 2/8/07,AROUND 11:00 A M..I ATE AN PEANUT BUTTER SANDWICH,AND LATER ON THAT DAY BETWEEN 4 AND 5 P M I STARTED TO GET STOMACH CRAMPS AT THIS STORE I WAS AT..AND THE WOMAN THAT WAS WITH ME ASKED ME WHAT I HAD ATE THAT DAY..I TOLD HER A PEANUT BUTTER SANDWICH...AFTER THAT FOR THE NEXT 3 AND A HALF DAYS I WAS SICK AS A DOG TAKING HOT BATHS TO SOOTHE THE PAIN IN MY LOWER STOMACH..UNTIL MY HUSBAND COULD NOT TAKE IT ANY MORE ON 2/12/07,MONDAY, HE CALLED THE PARAMEDEICS AND I SPENT FROM 2/12/07 TO 2/16/07 IN THE HOSPITAL WITH STOMACH PAINS..AT PIEDMONT MEDICAL CENTER IN ROCK HILL,SC..IN THOSE FEW DAYS I HAD A SCOPE STUCK DOWN MY THROAT AND HAD TO HAVE AN KINDA IMMEDIATE COLONASTRAPHY (SORRY I MISPELLED IT) AND I DO BELEIVE IT WAS FROM THE PEANUT BUTTER...I ALREADY HAVE CONTACTED THE IMMEDIATE PARTY THAT NEEDS TO KNOW...I CONTACTED THEM ON 2/19/07 BY PHONE..TO LET THEM KNOW..THEY TOLD ME NOT TO THROW THE JAR OF PEANUT BUTTER AWAY..AND IN THE FUTURE SOMEONE MIGHT CONTACT ME..I FEEL THAT SINCE PEANUT BUTTER WAS THE LAST THING I ATE..ON 2/8/07..THEY SHOULD KNOW I AM A POOR PERSON WITH NO INSURACE AT ALL...SO SOMEONE BETTER STEP UP TO THE PLATE..THIS WAS NOT MY FAULT AT ALL!!!!!!!!!!
Been there.....am doing that now. Paying down over $12,000 in medical debt by refinancing our home....which is crazy especially since we pay over $12,000 a year in medical insurance. Whomever invented the term "co-insurance" needs to be keel-hauled.