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What to do when medical expenses are too high?

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dwmiller69

Junior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Illinois

I have a concern and am looking for your help. I am a non-custodial parent of two daughters from a divorce that occurred in 2007. My ex-wife has sole custody. The child support order calls for me to provide health insurance coverage as well as 50% out of pocket expenses that the insurance does not cover. Because my daughters are rarely sick we opted to go with a basic, low cost PPO with a high deductible. My oldest daughter is 11 and has developed allergy/asthma type symptoms. My ex took her to see an Ear/Nose/Throat specialist and then an Allergy doctor. The doctor did thorough testing for allergies and determined that my daughter needs allergy shots for the next 5 years. My ex-wife paid for these up front with her credit card and says I owe her for my 50% responsibility. These visits/test/shots have cost over $5000 out of pocket and the insurance has a deductible of $5500 so we haven't hit that yet. My wife gets to claim both daughters as dependents for income tax purposes so she can pay her half of the doctor bills with her income tax refund she gets each year. I on the other hand do not get much of a refund. I had to file for bankruptcy back in 2008 as a result of the high lawyer costs from the divorce so I no longer have credit. I work two jobs/75 hours a week as it is just to be able to survive in Chicago (since I do pay about $1400 in child support payments monthly, not counting health insurance). My question is this, what does a person do if the court says they are responsible for 50% of the out of pocket doctor bills, but their net income doesn't leave enough money to pay the bills? I guess they (the court) could hold me in contempt but how can I pay what I don't have?

Any advice you can give would be greatly appreciated. I've never had an issue paying my share of the doctor bills before but now I'm not sure what to do.
 


Silverplum

Senior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Illinois

I have a concern and am looking for your help. I am a non-custodial parent of two daughters from a divorce that occurred in 2007. My ex-wife has sole custody. The child support order calls for me to provide health insurance coverage as well as 50% out of pocket expenses that the insurance does not cover. Because my daughters are rarely sick we opted to go with a basic, low cost PPO with a high deductible. My oldest daughter is 11 and has developed allergy/asthma type symptoms. My ex took her to see an Ear/Nose/Throat specialist and then an Allergy doctor. The doctor did thorough testing for allergies and determined that my daughter needs allergy shots for the next 5 years. My ex-wife paid for these up front with her credit card and says I owe her for my 50% responsibility. These visits/test/shots have cost over $5000 out of pocket and the insurance has a deductible of $5500 so we haven't hit that yet. My wife gets to claim both daughters as dependents for income tax purposes so she can pay her half of the doctor bills with her income tax refund she gets each year. I on the other hand do not get much of a refund. I had to file for bankruptcy back in 2008 as a result of the high lawyer costs from the divorce so I no longer have credit. I work two jobs/75 hours a week as it is just to be able to survive in Chicago (since I do pay about $1400 in child support payments monthly, not counting health insurance). My question is this, what does a person do if the court says they are responsible for 50% of the out of pocket doctor bills, but their net income doesn't leave enough money to pay the bills? I guess they (the court) could hold me in contempt but how can I pay what I don't have?

Any advice you can give would be greatly appreciated. I've never had an issue paying my share of the doctor bills before but now I'm not sure what to do.
All I can say is, when your current insurance plan no longer works well for you, it's time to change it.

I'd advise you to get a 2nd job, but you have one. This is just life: money and bills come in, money and payments go out. Children require care.
 

dwmiller69

Junior Member
She paid for FIVE YEARS of treatments up front?
No, she paid for one year up front. She was told by the doctor that in order for the serum to be made and tailored for my daughters allergic symptoms, that she would need to pay up front for one year's worth of doses. Although, if she were to pay for all 5 years up front we would hit the annual deductible and my health insurance would pay for 70% of the balance. But I don't know that the doctor would accept those terms. And it would be a gamble, in the event the shots don't work and alternative therapy is recommended.
 

Silverplum

Senior Member
No, she paid for one year up front. She was told by the doctor that in order for the serum to be made and tailored for my daughters allergic symptoms, that she would need to pay up front for one year's worth of doses. Although, if she were to pay for all 5 years up front we would hit the annual deductible and my health insurance would pay for 70% of the balance. But I don't know that the doctor would accept those terms. And it would be a gamble, in the event the shots don't work and alternative therapy is recommended.
I don't think the insurance company would accept 5 years of shots paid as 1 year, with them covering 70%.
 

Pinkie39

Member
I would hope she got a second opinion.:eek:
I have allergies and asthma, as do my two kids. Nearly everyone on my side of the family (my mom, siblings, nieces, nephews) has either allergies or asthma or both, so I have a lot of familiarity with the subject. I've never heard of a doctor recommending allergy shots as a first choice of treatment for either.

From my experience, most doctors will start the patient out with OTC and/or prescription allergy/asthma medications first, and see how they do on those, before recommending a more extreme (and very expensive) treatment, like allergy shots. And allergy shots are really usually only recommended for very severe allergies, that could interefere with a person's every day functioning.

It sounds to me like that doctor is out to make a quick buck by selling a likely non necessary treatment. I would be reluctant to pay half of the cost of those shots, considering that it sounds like Mom did not ask for, or try any less expensive treatments for the child first, before starting the shots.
 

OHRoadwarrior

Senior Member
I agree. I would make mom have the court order repayment. OP is only obligated to pay expenses incurred. He is not required to prepay treatments.
 

ecmst12

Senior Member
It depends on the age of the patient and what the allergies are to and what the reaction is. OP isn't going to get very far with questioning the medical professional, unless perhaps he gets a second opinion which will cost more money.

Next year, change your plan to a lower deductible/higher coverage one.

This year, you will need to find a way to pay or you will be in contempt.
 

single317dad

Senior Member
OP, I reply to your question with a question: what would you do in this same situation if you and Mom were still together, and there was no divorce/support order? You'd verify that the treatment was necessary, then find a way to pay for your daughter's treatment, right?

That said, if you feel the financial situation has changed since the original support order, maybe it's time to revisit the issue of support in court.
 

gam

Senior Member
It might be time to revisit the child support. Does mom not have any insurance available? Just because you were ordered to carry insurance does not mean that can't change. When your dealing with high medical bills, often times it is wise to have both parents carry medical insurance.

You can also check with this Dr and see if they have any finance available for these shots. Mom should not have without speaking to you first, just paid for a year. Perhaps if the Dr has finance available they will work with you guys and finance your half. I don't know if allergists do this, but orthodontists do, worth a shot.
 

dwmiller69

Junior Member
Apparently I had some of the facts wrong. She has NOT paid for the 106 doses of serum (for 1 year of treatments) yet but has placed the order for the serum to be made. I am trying to negotiate with her to see if she can postpone the start of the treatments and payment until the new year (after Jan 1) when I can have better insurance. She is reluctant to even ask the doctor and is making the accusation that I am putting finance before the health of my daughter. Waiting 3 months can save over $2000.

I did actually speak to an attorney on this last night. She is not specialized in this field necessarily but she said that if my ex-wife takes me to court, the judge will order me to fill out a written affidavit of income which shows all of my income and expenses. Upon examination of the completed affidavit the judge will determine the amount if any that can be added to the garnishment amount already being taken from each paycheck. I am confident that there is $100 or less that can be added monthly, which I have told my ex already. If she wants to spend her money on legal fees that's up to her.

My ex also claims that because she was referred to the allergy doctor by her PCP and an ear/nose/throat specialist that it means that they have all given their opinion that allergy shots are the best option. I don't know that I agree with that assumption however.
 

CJane

Senior Member
What is your daughter allergic to? And if it's not paid yet, you don't owe half yet. It's possible that the treatments (for which you'll be paying 1/2) won't begin til after the first of the year anyway.
 

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