Health Insurance Should Not Be A For-Profit Industry.

#InsuranceCrisis
#MedicalDebt
#ConflictOfInterest
#Billionaires
#Inequity

My cousin lost the house I grew up in (as did my mom and uncles) because of a medical debt and a hedge fund buying his mortgage and raising it to unaffordable levels. He couldn't refinance because of the medical debt! This needs to stop!

State lawmakers find America’s #medicaldebt problem ‘can no longer be ignored’

By Dan Goldberg, September 7, 2023

"Personal #medical debt has reached startling heights — and state lawmakers are taking notice.

"In the absence of federal consensus and in anticipation of congressional inaction, state legislators have enacted a variety of consumer protections to mitigate or forestall medical debt. Several more bills are being debated in the coming weeks, expected to be signed later this year and taken up when sessions reconvene in 2024.

"The actions — in more than a dozen states — represent a determined, if patchwork, effort to help the roughly 100 million Americans who deal with medical debt, late notices, threatening voicemails and credit score declines. And the bills underscore the difficulty state lawmakers have helping their distressed constituents contend with the ever-increasing costs of health care."

Read more:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/personalfinance/state-lawmakers-find-america-s-medical-debt-problem-can-no-longer-be-ignored/ar-AA1gnILt?rc=1&ocid=winp1taskbar&cvid=c1c4011874374a34d5dc0b19de48513c&ei=7

A very close friend of mine is battling #cancer and #MedicalDebt, and needs help. I've known Larry for about 15 years, and in that time he has given to me his time, energy, stuff, and his support on many occasions. Above all, he's taught me things. Now he needs help, and if you have a little to give, please consider supporting:

https://gofund.me/d32bd241

I love the #MutualAid that goes on on the #Fediverse, but I've never asked for aid for myself or a friend before. Now is the time, for me.

In a truly great country, this isn’t necessary. But here we are…

Medical bills can cause a financial crisis. Here's how to negotiate them : Planet Money : NPR #MedicalDebt

https://www.npr.org/2023/07/28/1190725808/tackle-your-medical-debt-with-life-kit

I did not realize how easy it was to collectively fight medical debt. Just learned about this initiative in Philly that raised over $17.000 and erased 1.6 MILLION in medical debt for the community. Let's do this in our own communities!

A group of Philadelphians erased $1.6 million in local medical debt. They celebrated with an unofficial debt burning.

https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia/rip-medical-debt-forgiveness-philadelphia-20230828.html

Anyone in Detroit / Southeastern Michigan want to work on this?

#medicaldebt #Michigan #Detroit #Philly #Philadelphia

Well, it happened. My kid's $43 Polyclinic bill got sent to collections, due to me being careless and missing it amidst a large pile of medical bills. (What a shitty system we live in.)

Any advice for resolving this in a way that protects my credit history as much as possible?

#collections #MedicalDebt

@rashidatlaib Bill Would Prohibit #MedicalDebt From Appearing on #CreditReports
https://www.commondreams.org/news/tlaib-medical-debt

Has Your #Doctor Ever Pitched You a #CreditCard for #MedicalDebt?
If so, federal officials want to hear from you
https://themessenger.com/business/has-your-doctor-ever-pitched-you-a-credit-card-for-medical-debt

free or discounted services in charity care. Meanwhile, >100 million adults in the US are saddled with healthcare debts.
#hospitals #nonprofit #medicaldebt #ushealthcare

The US medical system is unique in the world in that it places millions of people into crippling debt for getting sick.

We just donated to #RIPMedicalDebt who is a charity that buys at discount and relieves medical debt in the US. Please consider doing so if you can.

https://ripmedicaldebt.org/?form=donate

#MedicalDebt #DebtRelief #charity

Millions of US people in poverty face problems with #foodinsecurity, #medicaldebt & lack of suitable housing. But an issue often left out of the conversation is hygiene insecurity. Learn how “Hygiene Locators” connect people with basic essentials for free.

https://www.goodgoodgood.co/articles/free-hygiene-products

This story about a #Tennessee woman being sued for medical bills is shocking, but also incredibly common. Cases like this are heard in the general sessions courts of Tennessee every day.

#MedicalDebt
Via NPR: Sued for hospital debt, she paid more than $5,200 and then interest
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/06/27/1183291226/the-hospital-bills-didnt-find-her-but-a-lawsuit-did-plus-interest

@south_lib @mathowie

And that's ehy #healthcare has to be tightly regulated for the sake of everyone.

Otherwise one ends up with #MedicalDebt - based #DebtPeonage because people don't choose to have need for medical care!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNla9nyRMmQ&t=180s

“The US model of subsidizing privately operated hospitals with tax exemptions in the hope that they will increase the accessibility of hospital care for un- and underinsured patients allows for abusive medical billing and debt collection practices and undermines human rights, including the right to health.”

https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/human-rights-watch-medical-debt-crisis-diagnosis-debt-hospital-bills/

#healthcare #hospitals #medicaldebt

People in other countries ask, "What is #MedicalDebt"? https://urbanists.social/@danwentzel/110504388233358968

"...a wealthy nonprofit health system in the Midwest is among those taking things a step further: withholding care from patients who have unpaid medical bills.

Allina Health System, which runs more than 100 hospitals and clinics in Minnesota and Wisconsin and brings in $4 billion a year in revenue, sometimes rejects patients who are deep in debt, according to internal documents and interviews with doctors, nurses and patients."

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/01/business/allina-health-hospital-debt.html

#heathcare #hospitals #medicaldebt

"..the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls the “Diabetes Belt” — 644 mostly Southern counties where rates of the disease are high.

And of those counties, NPR found that more than half have high levels of medical debt. That means at least 1 in 5 people have medical debt in collections.

That’s much higher than the national rate, which is 13%, according to the Urban Institute, a social-policy nonprofit."

https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/many-people-living-in-the-diabetes-belt-are-plagued-with-medical-debt

#healthcare #medicine #medicaldebt

@HopelessDemigod #MedicalDebt should not exost - period!

In Florida, a health care provider that pads its bills may be liable for unfair and deceptive business practices, as well as debt collection violations and even, in extreme cases, billing fraud.

#FDCPA #DebtCollectors #MedicalDebt

Next, see if you can find the fee schedule for your health care provider. Since January 1, 2021, most hospitals in the US publish are required to publish the true prices that they charge to insurers and payers.

Make sure that they billed you the proper amounts and submitted insurance claims properly and on time.

If you find any mistakes, that's the first step in challenging the debt.

👇

#FDCPA #DebtCollectors #MedicalDebt