What did you do today?
I filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy today.
I had been trying to avoid it but I knew there was a deadline coming. Things would be changing soon.
It was one of the biggest, saddest things I did today, this month, this year, this lifetime. When I left my attorney's office today, it felt like I had been kicked in the stomach.
Venting continues below the fold.
It wasn't credit cards that did me in. I never really used them. I keep one for when I need to rent a car, make hotel reservations, etc. but rarely ever used it otherwise. Even when I used it to guarantee the rental or reservation, I would pay cash.
It wasn't because I was stupid and didn't pay my bills. I did.
But I got sick. Real sick...sick enough to end up in the hospital. I had no insurance and the bills were beyond my means. And the hospital sued me, and they won. The bill was more than I make in a year. Then I got sick again and spent another three days in the hospital.
I don't have medical insurance because I can't afford it. It costs about 40% of what I make. I make about $100 more per month than I can to qualify for Medicaid. My job does not offer insurance.
I have some medical issues that require drugs each month at a cost of $78. These are life-sustaining drugs. If I don't take them, I die. I should see a doctor every 6 months but I can't afford it. It is also the reason I ended up in the hospital twice. If I was able to afford private insurance, it would exclude this pre-existing medical condition.
The bankruptcy filing listed $35K or so in hospital bills. Another $2000 or so was other stuff--nothing major and out of control. The judgment on the first bill was limited to what Medicaid would have paid by the judge. The difference was enormous---thousands of dollars. They were trying to sue for retail because I didn't have insurance and which was way more than HMO and Medicaid reimbursements. That was the only bright spot...that they could not gouge me further because I am poor; the judge would not give them that amount One mistake I made is that I didn't show up with an attorney that day in court but my limited budget forced me to make a decision--I knew I would lose the judgment because I was in their facility and knew my dollars would be better spent on the bankruptcy filing. In our country, dead people can't even get out of medical bills...they will sue the estate according to my attorney.
It got bad after that judgment. My parents who live in another state started to get calls. At first I couldn't figure out why they were calling there. It turns out they got that number because she was listed as my emergency contact at the hospital. The night my mom was dying and ultimately died, a debt collector called repeatedly like it was a game. She called every twenty minutes or so. This was all by a hospital that is non-profit and receives government subsidies. In court, the attorney had with him my medical records; so much for HIPAA. I guess it only applies to those with insurance.
And finally, I gave in and decided, "Screw them". It ultimately came down to those calls to my parents and then only to my dad where they would deliberately ask for my mom. I know this because they were told by him that she had passed away months ago.
When I went over the final filing today with my attorney before it was submitted (it's all done online these days), I was both angry and amused that he knew the names and addresses of all the people I owed money to. He said it is always the same people.
I know I am not alone in what happened to me. Most bankruptcies are due to medical bills
A national health care program could put an end to thousands of bankruptcies. But big business prevails these days and allows banks and credit card issuers to make a fresh start more difficult for those who did nothing to deserve it, other than getting sick in one of the few nations in the world that does not provide medical care to their residents.
My attorney indicated he has never been busier. Gee, I wonder why?
I'm lucky though. Those folks in NOLA who will be struggling (and think of those medical bills!) will not find it so easy. They need to got through income tests and credit counseling at their own expense. That is not right.
Sorry for the length. I'm venting here a bit.