Over charged

by Twila
(Galax Virginia)

I have medical insurance.It is suppose to pay 80% of medical cost. My husband was air lifted to another hospital.The bill for this was 26000.00.Insurance paid them 6000.00 and said it was outrageous amount and they refuse to pay any more. Now the air care says I owe them 16000.00. I cannot afford this and I don't feel if Insurance has refused to pay..Why is it my responsbile to pay this....They are saying they can attached my wages...My husband is not working because of health problems and I am in My 60 still working mainly to pay for Insurance...

Comments for Over charged

Click here to add your own comments

Nov 27, 2011
 Over charged
by: Debtcollectionanswers.com

That does seem like a lot of money and I am not surprised that your insurance company only paid a small portion of it. Unfortunately, we hear from many people in your same situation and there is not a lot that can be done usually because it's unlikely the company who airlifted your husband will be willing to reduce it's bill or that your insurance company will agree to pay more than it has. So, that leaves you in the middle. One thing you might want to try is to appeal the insurance company's decision to pay only $6,000 of the $26,000 bill; but you have no assurance that the company will agree to pay more than it has.

As to the comment by the air lift company that it will attach your wages if you do not pay the $16,000, it cannot do that unless it sues you, wins the lawsuit and gets a judgment against you. Even then, it would not be allowed to take the full amount of your paychecks -- just a portion. However, I realize that not taking home all of the money you earn would be a hardship for you.

Given your situation, I suggest that you schedule an appointment with a consumer bankruptcy attorney. Go here to schedule a consultation with a bankruptcy attorney. If you qualify for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, your medical debt will get wiped out and if you file Chapter 13 instead, it's likely that the amount of the debt will get reduced. Also, as soon as you file, all collection actions against you must stop, so the air lift company will not be able to sue you. And, if it already has sued you and gotten a judgment against you by the time you file for bankruptcy, it won't be able to continue to enforce the judgment -- attach your wages.

If you decide to file for bankruptcy after talking with an attorney, you will be part of a growing number of hardworking, responsible consumers who end up in bankruptcy due to medical debt. In fact, these days, medical debt is one of the leading causes of consumer bankruptcy, if not the main cause.



Click here to add your own comments

Return to Medical Debt Collection Questions.

Learn how debt collection laws can help you!
This website does not provide legal advice.
All information is for educational purposes only.
Copyright 2007 - 2020 by Mary Reed and Gerri Detweiler.
All rights reserved.
DebtCollectionAnswers.com does not sell your personal information.
Read our Privacy Policy here