Just got back from 341 meeting (long)

[hhou812hh]

I have to disagree on the medical bill issue. My wife and I went w/o insurance for awhile and everytime I went into a doctor's office it was like writing a big blank check. It seems every time I walk through the door it was an open invitaion for 3 or 4 different companies to send me bills for stuff I might or might not have had done. Medical billing is the biggest scam this country has going and something needs to be done about it.

Also on the debt repayment issue. Don't worry about your debts once they are gone. Just concentrate on getting your self in a position so this won't happen again.

You're right about it being a scam! I got billed for services that Dr's say they performed while I was under. My insurance wouldn't cover it so I did. The reason it's a scam is because depending on your state they are required by law to help every patient(including illegal imigrants) for every reason and they don't get paid by everyone so the ones with jobs and insurance have to pay. I know a bk atty told me that a debtor filed a ch7 because he ran up over $25k of cocaine related emergency room bills. That my friend is why the rest of us are getting scammed! This system does need to be reformed but it's too political and This forum isn't the place to discuss that subject.

[Minnymouth]

CALM DOWN FOLKS, We're all getting "testy" today.......
We may not agree with each other - but NO ONE is here to "judge".....
We are supposed to be "helping each other"......

Originalhealer, yes, you do have a "situation" there!!!
I agree, you need to see a lawyer and check out options for you to take....
Maybe under the circumstances, the Trustee will agree that you "need that income" to meet your monthly living expenses....maybe he will leave it alone....
Keep us posted, try to get your certified so you can teach in the state your in, and turn things around...

Best of Luck

Minny

[herekitty]

Healer - Sorry about the feeling of being ganged up on, I think it's great that you are going to get your masters and be a teacher and it kills me that the people in charge of educating our future get paid so crappy! Entertainers are making million and they aren't really teaching us the things we should know.

Your mom seems like she was a great woman and I know how you feel about keeping her alive by not squandling her money.

About insurance - if you private message me I can give you info on a great insurance place that my little brother uses. It's $150 a month and has prescription coverage. He's got a lot of health issues, he's AD, ED, LD, HD and so on, not to mention a whole bunch of other issues and that's what his coverage is. Maybe that can help?

Maybe you could go to a free consultation with a lawyer now?

[Minnymouth]

Herekitty is right,
Your consultation would be FREE, at least you would get some answers that you need, whether you hire them or not...

Good Luck,

Minny

[originalhealer]

Thank you all of you who are being supportive. That really means a lot. I am going to take advantage of a free consultation.

I did email the retirement system, and unfortunately, they responded that my state....." pension may be garnished by
the Federal Government for a bankruptcy proceeding."

Ooops! Bad news. Okay, plan B. Chapter 13, or a voluntary dismissal. Must weigh the pros and cons of each.

The only thing that REALLY bothers me about a voluntary dismissal is that the dang bankruptcy will stay on my credit.

[edwards2]

I will admit on the front end I am hyper-sensitive about medical issues/bills. My husband was in the trauma unit for several months and then to a rehab for 2 weeks. Fortunately, we had health insurance but of course it did not pay everything. We did our best to pay a portion of the balance every month and still try to meet our household expenses. In the middle of all of that the infamous insurance company decides his food(he had a feeding tube) was non-essential so they would NOT pay for it any longer. It was expensive and obviously necessary for him to SURVIVE. Despite the fact several doctors tried to appeal their decision on our behalf they turned us down. My husband yanked the stomach tube out himself. Luckily, he is okay but I was, and still am, outraged by their decision. We continued to pay our medical bills for years until we simply could not meet all of our obligations and pay them too yet a lot of people have a free ride into the ER. You are right if you have insurance they expect you to pick up the slack from those who can't or wont pay.

Sorry abour your mom. I lost my mother in November. I miss her terribly. She was my best friend. I hope things work out for you. If Chapter 13 is the way for you to go then hopefully it will give you some financial peace. Let us know how it goes.