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When Medical Debt Collectors Decide Who Gets Arrested

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Re: When Medical Debt Collectors Decide Who Gets Arrested

#51

Post by tracker1 »

I have strong feelings on how much medical reform needs to happen, and some ideas on how it can be done without socializing the system as a whole.

That said, I don't understand why nobody has tried to organize protests outside the courthouse or hospital over this. 90 people in one session are plenty to leverage a pretty big protest. The black eye to the court or hospital in question could definitely lead to some changes. If there are other counties in OK facing the same issues, they could protest at the state level and probably get better protective legislation in place.

I fail to understand how apathy has lead to such passive lack of any kind of action for reform.

Re: When Medical Debt Collectors Decide Who Gets Arrested

#52

Post by hestipod »

keiferski wrote: post #46
hestipod wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've been trying to move back abroad since I returned to the USA. It's not as easy as people think in the best of times to immigrate, let alone when you are in such bad shape all around. No place takes broken and relatively broke people. Believe me I'd have been gone years ago if I could have managed it. I've thought about extreme ideas like asylum but my research shows it's never granted to people from such countrie…

Have you looked into working remotely and then moving somewhere like Argentina? They are very open to immigration and you can apply for citizenship after two years.

I have. In fact the once in a lifetime offer I got from a member here, the only real help in all these years, was to work remotely and live in Europe. My only real friends are there and my previous doctors there were wonderful so that is the goal. But a (as usual) complicated health issue made doing that job and that time impossible for me and I hate every day that it might have been the last hope. My health keeps blocking things. I don't even know what I could do to earn at this point that I would be sure of being able to sustain. I cannot depend on my body for consistency unless that consistency is pain and weakness at varying levels and that's incompatible with your ability to live being linked with your ability to use said body consistently to work in trade for cash. Every time I invest in an idea with energy and money something else happens to crush it. I'd need years of physical, financial, and mental stability to even begin to recover some life and simply cannot start entirely over with no help like one can when they are young and healthy. I have no bootstraps in any sense of the word to pull on.

Re: When Medical Debt Collectors Decide Who Gets Arrested

#53

Post by tbyehl »

true_religion wrote: post #18
geggam wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you dont have the money to pay bills how do you afford to get to court ? Being poor is illegal ;)

Court is just a building in town. If you are healthy, you can just walk there. The bigger problem in this case is that the people being sent to court probably cannot easily walk there, because they are unhealthy. It’s effectively criminalizing illness.

> Court is just a building in town. If you are healthy, you can just walk there.

If you happen to live in town and that town happens to be where the State put the courthouse for that county.

Plenty of counties in this country are bigger than Rhode Island -- not just in the middle of nowhere, either.

Re: When Medical Debt Collectors Decide Who Gets Arrested

#54

Post by PopeDotNinja »

hestipod wrote: post #28
PopeDotNinja wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Have you looked at bankruptcy options? Medical debt ruined my life. Bankruptcy got my life back.

I appreciate the advice. I may not have been clear in my rant but I am not in legal debt presently. If it were medical debt from a recoverable position and with support it would be a different story. I have skirted it by paying up front from savings or not seeking/getting care if it cost too much (a decision many have to make here) as I know in my condition and situation I would never recover once that happens. I wil…

If you start looking at resources for digital nomads, you'll start seeing how people live abroad for cheap. Here's a recent video on living in Bankso, Bulgaria in an apartment for 150 Euro per month => https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_w28W1_4PY. Combine that with some online work, maybe teaching English, and you could probably do OK.

Re: When Medical Debt Collectors Decide Who Gets Arrested

#55

Post by hestipod »

PopeDotNinja wrote: post #54
hestipod wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I appreciate the advice. I may not have been clear in my rant but I am not in legal debt presently. If it were medical debt from a recoverable position and with support it would be a different story. I have skirted it by paying up front from savings or not seeking/getting care if it cost too much (a decision many have to make here) as I know in my condition and situation I would never recover once that happens. I wil…

If you start looking at resources for digital nomads, you'll start seeing how people live abroad for cheap. Here's a recent video on living in Bankso, Bulgaria in an apartment for 150 Euro per month => https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_w28W1_4PY . Combine that with some online work, maybe teaching English, and you could probably do OK.

I've been there and been that digital nomad. I have lived in cheaper countries. I've taught English. Those things sound romantic and if you are healthy and have special skills you can have a good life. If you are not healthy and are competing with every other gig worker who IS and is half your age, and every other native speaker, hustling in the grind every day it's not sustainable. It was quite hard even when things weren't as bad as now. It's exhausting and doesn't (in most cases) give you any of the stability,immigration requirements, access to systems, consistency you need to live when you aren't able to sleep on floors and rough life. It sounds nice and I know the advice is well meant. It's just not like people imagine in context.

Re: When Medical Debt Collectors Decide Who Gets Arrested

#56

Post by snagglegaggle »

tracker1 wrote: post #51

I have strong feelings on how much medical reform needs to happen, and some ideas on how it can be done without socializing the system as a whole. That said, I don't understand why nobody has tried to organize protests outside the courthouse or hospital over this. 90 people in one session are plenty to leverage a pretty big protest. The black eye to the court or hospital in question could definitely lead to some chan…

The system preys on those that are isolated and may not have a support system. There's a similar issue with involuntary psychiatric care -- you're more likely to be committed (especially for no good reason) if you are alone and have no one who can get you legal aid on the outside. While in, they keep you isolated and too medicated to function.

Re: When Medical Debt Collectors Decide Who Gets Arrested

#57

Post by snagglegaggle »

77pt77 wrote: post #34

> Judges don’t need a law degree in Kansas, or many other states, to preside over cases like these You can't make this up!

I think this is completely fine. You'd rather be ruled by a credentialed class that could have opinions completely divorced from reality?

The law is supposed to be human and obvious. Any case that "requires" a JD and ten years experience is likely full of trash.

Re: When Medical Debt Collectors Decide Who Gets Arrested

#58

Post by hestipod »

alistproducer2 wrote: post #45
hestipod wrote: post #3

My life was ruined by badly done, and even worse ultimately unneeded surgery. That privilege initially cost me many thousands, along with career and insurance going away, and the subsequent struggle to survive since has cost multiples of that. My entire future billed away. For a time I was able to avoid collectors because of a significant savings a frugal life had left me, but as time goes on you have to choose betwe…

Im confused as to why you don't just walk away. After 7 years it will fall off your credit report and u can start over.

I don't have a financial strain bankruptcy would fix. I cannot walk away from current needs for medical care, housing, food etc. I am getting worse not better which equals more needs and cost with less to no resources. You cannot sign up for a post paid life in America and just ignore the costs. The featured article shows how that debt snowballs into worse issues. There won't be seven years in my future at this rate and no means to start over now let lone then. It's not a hiccup to get over nor some administrative issue to be worked around. The amount of "Why don't you just...." that I have heard over the years robs me of all hope. It's usually well meant and not malicious...but its never actionable or realistic and rather based in what people think it SHOULD work like or how it will be for them if they need it.

Re: When Medical Debt Collectors Decide Who Gets Arrested

#59

Post by bhupy »

_jal wrote: post #24
bhupy wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why does healthcare have to be a federal issue?

It theoretically doesn't, but practically speaking, you're talking about risk pools. Those work better when they're larger.

Risk pools in other countries work pretty well, and their populations are Denmark’s population is that of Wisconsin.

The least populated state (Wyoming) would have a larger risk pool than Iceland, which seems to be doing fine.

Re: When Medical Debt Collectors Decide Who Gets Arrested

#60

Post by hestipod »

snagglegaggle wrote: post #56
tracker1 wrote: post #51

I have strong feelings on how much medical reform needs to happen, and some ideas on how it can be done without socializing the system as a whole. That said, I don't understand why nobody has tried to organize protests outside the courthouse or hospital over this. 90 people in one session are plenty to leverage a pretty big protest. The black eye to the court or hospital in question could definitely lead to some chan…

The system preys on those that are isolated and may not have a support system. There's a similar issue with involuntary psychiatric care -- you're more likely to be committed (especially for no good reason) if you are alone and have no one who can get you legal aid on the outside. While in, they keep you isolated and too medicated to function.

It's depressing (ha!) how accurate this cynical sounding stuff is. I have had to be really cautious as my usually avoidant and blaming family have threatened to try and have me locked up by exaggerating things when I have told them how severely depressed I am as a result of my situation. They don't care to help in any practical way and ignore me in general. They know I have no financial stability. They know taking such action would put me in five to six figure unrecoverable debt here. It's the same with "mental health providers". You cannot be open without fear of debt and losing more agency. It's why I occasionally rant online as I have no safe space irl. My mental issues are entirely side effects of my physical and financial issues...but those root problems are avoided.
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