ID Theft

My 21 yr old son has racked up about $4200.00 in medical debt this yr that I have to pay out of pocket?

My insurance has paid their part on seven ER visits on my son this yr. Each visit was a result of him having a seizure and injuring himself. dislocating his shoulder several times and splitting his forehead. He is in college but very stupid because all these er visits were unnecessary because he failed to take his antiseizure rx or failed to take it on schedule. I can't afford to pay my deductibles and copay. The hospitals said I can fill out a form for financial assistance but they want me to apply for welfare/medicaid and want all my personal info such as taxes or they will turn me over to a collection agency. I am leary of this because there is so much identity theft. Are there any alternatives? I am a single parent and money is tight although I am employed full time. What will the collection agency do if I can't pay.

Public Comments

1. move to canada!
2. It will go on your credit report most likely, and the longer it's on there, the worse it will make your credit. The best thing to do is work something out with the hospital. You definitely don't want this going into collections. They probably want you to apply for welfare/medicaid as a formality. Most likely you will be denied, and they know this. But like I said, it's a formality just to make sure there aren't other avenues of payment. After that happens the hospital will probably work out a payment plan with you. This sort of thing isn't unusual and they should take the utmost care in protecting your privacy in this matter. Good luck!
3. They won't do much, but don't let it get there. The hospital WILL work out a payment plan with you. Just agree to make regular payments until it is paid off. They will normally reduce the debt as well. Just explain the situation to them. Note that if you want to give them basic info required to get some form of financial aid, you should do so. The hospital is not going to steal your identity. You have to give basic info when applying for any sort of loan.
4. If you don't pay the collection agency, they will report you to the financial agencies and it will be put permantely on your credit report, lower your score and could stop you from getting loans, refinancing home loans, credit cards. It is not a good thing. Talk to the hospital and let them know that you will make monthly payments so that they don't take you to collections. Have your son get a part time job and help you a little too. Good Luck!
5. put a hit on your son and collect the insurance money---case closed and your good to go.
6. Stop enabling him. Drop him from your insurance and let him apply for financial aid/welfare. He's an adult and should start acting like one.
7. They want you to apply for Medicaide/Welfare so that you can get the hospital bills paid. When you apply, one of the questions asked by the interviewing worker is "Do you have any outstanding medical bills that need to be paid?" Of course each worker will word this question differently. Your answer is "Yes, I do." Then present the bills. They will take copies for your file, whether your approved or denied. They may hand you a paper to take back to the hospital to take to the billing office for the bills to be paid. Each Social Services office in each city/town & state are different so what they hand you will be different or how they handle the outstanding bills. Yes, they'll ask a bunch of questions you don't want them to know. Look at it this way, what if you can get some assitance from them for food? Or medical coverage for your son, despite his age? EVERY little bit helps, regardless of where it comes from! A few years before my son was born, I sprained my right ankle when I stepped off a curb the wrong way. I had no insurance & went to the hospital anyways. The nurse who attended me before the doctor told me that I should be at County hospital but due to my injury, they'd treat me. She told me to go apply for Medi-Cal (California's version of Medicaide. Same thing, different name). I went to apply 2 days later, a Monday, as my injury happened early Saturday morning. I told the interviewing worker that I had outstanding medical bills when she asked me if I had any. She handed me a form that was pre-filled out & I just had to sign it, then take it to the hospital's billing office. I took it after receiving my denial paperwork from the Medi-Cal office. The hospital accepted the form, made copies & handed it back to me. 45 days later, I received copies of my medical billing that showed everything was paid for. I had my wisdom teeth pulled later that year & had those bills paid for the same way. I now have a child & we get Food Stamps & medical coverage, Medi-Cal. We don't qualify for Cash Aid any longer due to both of us receiving SSI benefits. I DESPISE being on this assistance & realize that without it, we'd be paying more for our food & paying co-pays for medical visits that I know I can't afford. In the source below, I've listed a place where you can get food from, regardless of your income. Check the link to see if a church in your area participates or one not too far away.
8. It is better to apply for medicaid. Does your son have a job? he might be able to go on disability if he gets benefits. If not, try applying for medicaid, just to be on the safe side. Collection agencies will harrass you like crazy, because they don't care that your debt is health-related, their job is to collect. Another suggestion is to get some kind of alarm/pager to attach to your son, so he is reminded to take his meds at the time he is required to. Before concluding that your son is "stupid,"also ask him if he is experiencing any side effects from the meds or if there are any other reasons why he is not taking them (besides forgetting). Maybe he does not like what the medication is doing to him, and if changing a medication is a possibility, have him ask the doctor about it. Changing meds might make a difference. (if he's in college, he's not that stupid, and being in college is about young adults learning how to take care of themselves, a lot of young adults think they are invincible at this point in their lives and it takes things like trips to the emergency room, or deciding between a designated driver or calling a cab to help them learn.) My parents were very hesitant about applying for medicaid at one point after my father started dialysis treatment, but if they didn't, they would have been in serious trouble.
9. The alternative, is having your son get a job to pay for these expenses himself. Even delivering pizzas on the weekends, or mowing lawns, would cover it. If you signed to be financially responsible at the hospital, then you are. If you don't pay, they can eventually attach your paycheck. HOwever, this kid is 21. He's old enough to sign for HIMSELF. Which means, he SHOULD be signing for himself, and YOU are NOT responsible for the bills. Then they'll attach HIS future paycheck.
10. Your son is 21 years old, an technically an adult. Let him apply for medicaid on his own. If your son is eligable, and he probably is,usually medicaid will go back several months and pay outstanding medical debt.Some states also offer various forms of medical assistance, for instance in New york there is a program called Healthy people NY, where people in categories such as the unemployed, low income, the working poor, and all minor children, and children up to age 23 if in college are guaranteed some form of medical assistance. the specific medical assistance & program they can qualify for is based on their specific needs, and financial situation, medicaid is one of the programs. You do not need to apply for welfare to get medicaid.Many colleges also offer student health insurance policies. Your son should check this out with his school, and if affordable, obtain his own health policy. In any event it is necessary that you, and your son provide the hospital with the financial info necessary to get the medical bills paid.Hospitals do have many procedures to keep your personal info confidential and protected. There is help available for those who truly can not afford their medical bills. Please do not allow this to mar an otherwise good credit history. Urge your son to get on the ball & apply for medicaid, and you should do so as well to help settle this debt. Who knows, even though you work full time, your income may still be in the qualifying range & low enough to qualify for help now & in the future.In addition, diligently explain to your son that it is not only foolish, but extremely dangerous to abruptly stop seizure medications. Seizure meds require a consistent blood level to work effectively in controlling seizure activity. He has been lucky so far, in that he has recovered from these previous seizure episodes.I know at his age it is not "cool" to take meds for chronic conditions, we all know the young are perfect!, but in the worse case scenario he can suffer a seizure, lets say, while driving and cause injury, or death to himself or someone else.I personally know one former acquaintance, who died during a protracted grand mal seizure at the age of 27, due to failure to consistently take his meds.That was a great loss to his young wife of 22 and their two twin girls. I do not wish for that to happen to your son. I wish you well, and I hope you will follow some of the suggestions given by the contributors answering your question. And please cut the strings, and let this young man take on his personal, and health care responsibilities.These behaviors are necessary on the road to becoming a self sufficient man.