What’s Your Problem: Medical Debt and Unruly Insurance
There’s a regular column in the Chicago Tribune called “What’s Your Problem?” Readers write in with problems they can’t fix on their own, and the paper gets to work on things like false parking tickets and lost luggage.
This week, Bob Dourlain, a diabetic, wrote in about holding $15,000 in medical bills when he should have been covered by his company’s COBRA medical insurance plan. But when his employer got into a dispute with the insurance provider, Dourlain was left out in the cold.
Sadly, Dourlain’s not alone. As the following stories clearly illustrate, health care in this country leaves plenty of hardworking, insured people with life-destroying medical debt.
A few cases in point:
The Middletown (Ohio) Journal has the story of Joan Frost. Her medical bills are so out-of-control that she can barely afford the meager payments on her $30,000 home. The nursing home employee received some help when a few of her health care providers lowered her bills after leg surgery. But when the anesthesiologist demanded full payment, she found herself stuck between her medical debt and her mortgage.
The New Jersey Star Ledger goes further, profiling five people faced with tough medical debt decisions. They’re all in a bind for a variety of reasons, and they illustrate the breadth of the problem.
There’s Kia Moore, whose son struggles with severe birth defects as insurance companies fight over who is covering what. And Carlene Winters, who faced a cancer scare and then ominous letters from her insurance company about the future of her coverage.
Medical bills can be tough to face alone. If you need help getting your medical bills under control, speak with a Chapter 7 bankruptcy lawyer.