Medical Bills and Equity Question

[btsandsports]

What is the name of your state?What is the name of your state? Utah

Hi, I have a few questions, they are at the bottom. First I will give you my background.

In April 2004 we put our house up for sale to get into a bigger house due to our growing family and get me closer to work. My wife was pregnant at the time and due in late July 2004. In May 2004 my wife kept having pre term labor problems. She was hospitalized a few times then put on bed rest the last 6 weeks of the pregnancy.

We don’t have medical insurance so the bills started adding up. My wife gave birth 4 weeks early. Six weeks after giving birth we found out she had a massive tumor in her chest and that is why she was having all the pre term problems. Anyway she was hospitalized immediately… It is now 7 weeks later and she is still in the hospital. She was diagnosed with hodgkins lymphoma cancer. Well now the medical bills are going to be sky high.

Now to add to my stress our house just sold. I have to be out by Oct. 20th 2004. With all the events going on I have not been able to shop around for a new house. We have decided to rent for 6 months till my wife is well and then build a new house. We will be getting about $50,000 in equity from our home we are selling. What should I do with this money to where the hospital cannot get to it? I was told that I should not pay the hospital one penny till everything is complete and then try to get them to write some of it off and then work up a payment arrangement then. I was also told that hospitals are a non profit charitable organization and they cannot touch my house, credit or deny me service so I should not go making any arrangements that are going to make me struggle to re pay. Is this true? Anyone have any ideas here?

Thanks in advance

Boyd

 

[olgethorpe]

Wow...

Sorry to hear about your wife. Hope the prognosis (sp?) is good, and hope your child is well.

As to hospitals being non-profit that's not always true, so don't count on that. MOST, not all, do have hardship programs that will work with you on the bills, so you might start checking on that now...some will forgive the debt entirely, some will work out a payment plan.

As for the profit from your house sale, I think you've got a problem there. I don't think there's any legal way you're going to be able to hang onto it. Your best bet might be to buy another house immediately, but that might be risky too. Even if the hospital cuts you a break, you're going to have doctor bills, drugs, etc, that will come out of your pocket.

Maybe someone else here will have other ideas, but I think you're not going to be able to walk away from these bills...