Having rented most of my adult life, my wife and two kids and I are planning on returning to a rural community to start over. With 9000 in debt, wouldn't it be easier just to declare bankruptcy and start again from scratch. We don't have equity in much but we have reduced our debt down from 13000 (mostly medical bills).???

L from VA

-- Lee Martin (martin7lee2000@yahoo.com), December 30, 2001

Answers

Bankruptcy will haunt you forever (or at least it will seem like it). They say that you have a bankruptcy on your record for ten (10) years but there are some places (or so I have read) that can keep these records for longer than that.

Also . . . IMHO bankruptcy would seem like "easy way out" to put it nicely. I cannot understand why or how people can buy or do things which generate the debt and then simply declare bankruptcy and let someone else take the fall for them. Just doesn't seem quite fair to me.

Just my two cents.

-- unknown (unknown@unknown.com), December 30, 2001.

"Start again from scratch" What would you start again to do? Build another 13,000 in debt. It good you have reduce your debt from 13 to 9 and with some more effort and time that 9 will be reduced to 6 and then to 3 and then to 0. With todays new bankruptcy laws unless you are completely broke,with no income you would really not have much of a chance, especially with only $9,000 in debt. Heck!, I almost owe that much on 1 credit card.

If it's just that your monthly payments are too high to handle a better idea would be to go to a non-profit credit counseling company and they will help you get lower payments.

-- TomK(mich) (tjk@cac.net), December 30, 2001.

How about work a little harder instead of taking the easy way out .Getting insurance will help to.Don't want to sound mean but ...... working a part time job you could have that paid off in about a year.Cut out soda , chips , cigs , beer ,fast food and you got it made.To many people take the easy way and everyone else pays for it in higher prices and taxes.Sorry just my thought on it and you did ask.

-- Patty {NY State} (fodfarms@hotmail.com), December 30, 2001.

Also bancruptcy law in this country was restructured due to the high volume of filings. Now rather than allowing filing of chap 7, the courts require debt consolidation and such first.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), December 30, 2001.

Rural living requires a great deal of work and discipline. Paying off the debt will be a good place to practice...

-- Melissa (me@home.net), December 30, 2001.

First I dont see $9000 as significant debt. yes it can be a lot of money but only $9000 debt may not get the no-debt bankruptcy your think your getting. Recent laws( years late) now force debt consolidation before you can just cash out your debt.

Secondary, bankrupsy doesnt remove the debt, just moves to someone else in the form of higher rates.

-- Gary (gws@columbus.rr.com), December 30, 2001.

And good luck getting any kind of a job from anyone or renting again. Many employers now are getting credit checks, and a bankruptcy will disqualify you (shows unreliability, among other things) no matter how good you interview, and smart landlords always do credit checks, so again, you will have problems.

Please rethink this!

-- GT (nospam@nospam.com), December 30, 2001.

Lee..

Your decision depends on your personal beliefs.

I've known people who have declared bankruptcy but continued to live well.

It can make fiscal sense to declare. On paper.

I,too, have been swamped with unmanageable bills. Mostly medical also. But, bills are bills.

I chose, a few years ago, to tell the people I owed money to that I would pay them when I could. I will stick with my word. I know about every penny that I owe. I think.

People don't really start over. They just carry on. A stand up guy in the city will be a stand up guy in the country. Schmucks exist everywhere.

-- pc (noway@nowhere.com), December 30, 2001.

Declaring bankruptcy means that the cost of your debt is spread to everyone else. Your creditors will not absorb this loss - it will be passed on through higher prices/cost of services for THE REST OF US.

-- gita (gita@directcon.net), December 30, 2001.

A friend of mine went backrupt. This was the 2nd time for her husband, he had one before they married that she didn't know about until they filed together. She and her hubby had racked up about $10,000 I think, didn't own so much as a car. I mean everything from their kids toys to the appliances were bought on credit & he had a company car so they literally owned nothing of value. And they had lots of expensive appliances, home entertainment, playstation, etc. She didn't work once they had their 1st child, but he had a decent income. Guess they just lived beyond their means and used the cards as supplimental money. They went bankrut and within a few months had brand new credit cards (but really high interest). Recently they divorced and had to split the current owed balance, about $5000 each. They cannot go bankrupt again for several years so they really owe this time and the high interest is killing my friend. As a newly single mom who has not worked in years and has no "high pay/in demand" type job skills I can tell you that she sorely regrets the credit cards & bankruptcy.

Another friend of mine wanted a job in law inforcement. Guess what? They did all kids of background checks and bankruptcy was a big no- no. Same thing with another friend of mine who wanted to be a fire fighter. She passed all the physical screenings, written & oral exam, & being female should have had an excellent shot at getting in (they need females for their quota). Only thing is the bankruptcy on her background. Apparently this shows instability, irresponsibility, etc.

-- ellie (elnorams@aol.com), December 30, 2001.

2 adults with 9k debt and you're considering bankruptcy? I don't think debt is the problem you need to solve.

-- Dave (something@somewhere.com), December 31, 2001.

I know a guy who declared bankruptcy about twenty years ago. He had packed the money he should have been paying out to bills up his nose. So he declared bankruptcy. Big deal. Who cares, thought he? Well, let me tell you who cared. All his creditors. All the little guys he'd bought from on credit. He had a fence company. He drove fancy trucks. Lived high. So he won, and everyone else lost. What a rat!

He was also unable to remain living in this town, as he'd have come to a very bad end here.

-- joj (jump@off.c), December 31, 2001.

Lee, you've done such a great job of getting it down from 13K to 9K, I'd keep doing that if I were you. As you retire the principal on the debt your interest payments lessen, so it's only going to get easier as you go. If I were going to declare bankruptcy, I'd do it when my debts were simply insurrmountable, and with "only" 9K left that you've paid down to, it seems to me like you can finish it off. I know it probably still seems like a lot from where you are sitting, but you've shown good determination and budgeting sense to reduce it by 1/3 already.

-- Jennifer L. (Northern NYS) (jlance@nospammail.com), December 31, 2001.

Gez, guys..cut this guy some slack. He said it was mostly medical bills. Not like the guy ran out and took cruises and diamond rings! I know most of you are debt free, so God bless you, but you apparently don't know what it is to carry such a burden let alone people making you feel like some kind of low life.

Lee, your best bet would be to go see a bankruptcy attorney. Your initital consultation is usually free. The attorney can let you know the proceedure, whether it is right for you, and what alternatives you have.

Best of luck!

-- Karen (db0421@yahoo.com), December 31, 2001.

Hey, I don't believe in bankruptcy but there are some possible options open to you. Have you talked to the medical facilities where you owe? I know from having worked in that field, that they will frequently deal a bit. Start by telling them what you can pay per month; be honest and, if they work with you on that, do make those payments, even if it means real sacrifice. Be reasonable in what you promise. As you pay off one debt, apply that amount to the remaining debts; don't spend that amount. Do the obvious: no credit cards, no eating out, no frivolous spending; become acquainted with Goodwill stores and salvage places. It can be done and a lot of creditors will work with you. This builds trust and helps you in the future. Good luck

-- Rosalie (Dee) in IN (deatline@globalsite.net), December 31, 2001.

I do respectfully disagree with you Karen. I think many people here know the feeling of being in debt. We have in the past had thousands of dollars of medical debt. Actually just paid off the last one last summer. It took 12 years to do so, but we made arrangements with the hospital, and stuck with them no matter what. Even making minimum wage for 2 people, I think you could pay off $9000 in less than 5 years. It might mean it will take a little longer to do everything they want to do, but at least they will have the powere of knowing they can do it!

-- Melissa (me@home.net), December 31, 2001.

Anyone who thinks declaring bankruptcy is an easy way out has obviously never been at the end of their rope and anyone who SAYS they think this is a tad narrow minded. Don't throw the eggs yet!! We don't know the full situation, and a person ready to file bankruptcy is usually embarassed and doesn't want to tell you how they got into this hole and doesn't think it is any of your business. Things happen, to any of us. Yes, the debt is written off, and NO, it doesn't get spread to the rest of us. Sure, we pay taxes, but the gov't collects on things you'd never imagine. The money is there for the purpose of helping people who have no other way out. Trust me, the gov't is going to take your money one way or another.

As for life after B, depending on your state, it can take 7 years before it is off your record, but you can get a reasonable mortgage rate in 2. With your current debt, you won't get a decent rate until your debt is paid on good circumstances and your credit is good. Be prepared for people to look down there nose at you, and for everyone under the sun to give you their opinion on how you ought to be living your life.

Talk to a good lawyer who handles b's, not the type that "specializes", because this type will tell you to rack up your credit cards before you file. Not the honorable thing to do. From what I've seen, this is a hard road, but if you need to you can do it.

-- Dawn (olsoncln@ecenet.com), December 31, 2001.

Hi Lee, I know debt can strangle, but please try some other options first. My mother declared bankruptcy and has never been the same since. It was on her record for longer than it was "supposed" to be, and made her life VERY difficult. She has just lost her third house, so just because you declare, does not mean you learn from it. Her reason this time was medical bills, and lifestyle changes may help. Do things to help your health and stay fit. EVERYONE wishes debt would go away, you are not alone there. Just pray, and make up your mind to beat that debt down. Can you take a PT job? Can you cut your budget down? Can you change housing to something less expensive? Check out budget101.com for ideas on making it with little cash. I do not think $9,000 is worth the trouble of bankruptcy, and there are filing charges, etc. You can sometimes arrange payments with medical companies. You can have a credit counsler do it for you possibly. YOU HAVE DONE GREAT TO REDUCE YOUR DEBT SO FAR!!! KEEP IT UP!!! You have brought it down $4,000!!! Also, country folk are hardworking gritty people. :o) Don't get offended if someone offers to kick start ya. It has helped me a time or two. :o) Soft talk dosn't always get through to people. (ALSO, read "It's your money or your life!" It was mentioned here recently, good book on getting out of debt.)

-- notnow (notnow@blabla.com), December 31, 2001.

Medical bills, at least around here, have no interest charges so at least your debt is not increasing like a credit card. Keep sending them something each month, that will usually keep them off your back, and sooner than you think your debt will be paid. We went through an almost identical situation. It took us a few years to get out from debt, but when I look back at it, it was worth it. I really got a feeling of satisfaction from paying off these debts. I personally could not declare bankruptcy and place the burden on someone else. I know there may be times to declare bankruptcy, but I don't feel this is one of them.

As other posters have noted there are some very bad downsides to declaring bankruptcy, so try a little longer to get this debt off your back. Hope it works out for you.

Talk to you later.

-- Bob in WI (bjwick@hotmail.com), December 31, 2001.

Just remember also that insurance companies are now doing credit checks (some states require that they tell you this, others don't) because supposedly there are statistics that show if you have bad credit, you are probably going to file claim after claim and be a bad risk for them. So look for your rates to go up, especially car rates.

And, the laws have changed on bankruptcy, so you will probably have to repay the debt anyway, only now with a cloud over your record that makes it difficult to do other things. Good luck.

-- GT (nospam@nospam.com), December 31, 2001.

I too had lots of emergency medical bills...27000 to be exact,for gall bladder surgery,which they wanted in 48 hours,no exceptions,no excuses... Bad debt carries far worse penalties than bankruptcy ! Slow pay will get you branded as bad risk credit for more than the 7 years of bankruptcy. We filed bankruptcy,paid the attorney out in installments,and we pay the bankruptcy judge 160 per month for 4 years.This covers all the small bills,but the hospital bill was cancelled. As far as being listed as "Bad debt",it doesnt matter to the credit card people...We get about 5 Pre-Approved credit card offers a week,and get calls every day want ing to sell us something or other on credit,to rebuild our credit ! I think it depends on where you live,we are in Texas... If you cant pay your medical bills,then your only hope of salvaging anything is to file bankruptcy and then everyone you owe will at least be free to go on and clear your debts instead of trying in vain to collect them. As afr as everyone else having to pay the debts you owe,it doesnt happen.They are written off and the government will not let the companies charge higher rates just to get even.They amake millions of dollars profit from poor people anyway each year. So just do what your conscience tells you to do,and dont worry about what the people on the forum tell you about jobs,rents etc.If they havent been there they couldnt possibly know what will happen ! Good luck,and God bless you with the right decision for your own circumstances.

-- Don (twosloans@hotmail.com), December 31, 2001.

Yes the cost does get passed on to everyone else. That debt doesn't just vanish. Bankruptcy is a factor in the price of products. It's a big factor in insurance and interest rates. Maybe it soothes your conscience to believe that debt just disappears from existance but sorry it doesn't. What happens when that debt is owed to a small business? Do you think it doesn't affect the owner, the employees wages, the prices they must charge to cover bad debt?

I was debt free always until a few years ago. Now I have way more than 9k. The bulk of it didn't originate from me but unfortunately I let myself be responsible for it. I'd jump for joy to only have 9k debt. I'm now a low income single fulltime parent of 2 young kids. If I had another adult in my situation, I'd have 9k paid off in a years time. A part time job 4-5 hours a night would cover that. I've been paying my debts and it'll probably take years. I've had to do without and had to let go of some possessions to do that. Bankruptcy isn't a consideration for me. I think bankruptcy has a place, and wouldn't look down on someone using it for something like $100,000 of medical bills but I have no respect for someone who claims bk over less than a years wages, especially able bodied adults or even worse, 2 adults in it together. The easiest path is always downhill.

-- Dave (something@somewhere.com), December 31, 2001.

Don, I respectfully submit that you are incorrect that debt just gets cancelled and not passed on, which is what I got from your post. It DOES get passed on--for example people with insurance pay $5 for an aspirin (which costs what, a nickel?) in the hospital, and those who pay taxes (mainly the middle class--not the poor) get stuck for those written-off debts in the form of higher taxes. Credit card interest rates are higher for EVERYONE who makes payments (except rates don't matter to those who pay it off every month). Higher prices are passed along to everyone to make up for what they didn't collect. Just because you wiped out your debts doesn't mean everyone up and down the line gets their obligations erased. "Oh, I can't pay my bills this month because someone defaulted on a loan I gave them. Sure, just go ahead and tear up this month's bills 'cause I sympathize." NOT!!!

$9000 is nothing, debt-wise, there are lots of people in far worse shape. And I am glad they tightened up the bankruptcy laws. The fact that so many people file is proof that they are no longer (unlike in earlier times) embarrassed about it. What I would like to see though, is a law where if the judge can look at the particular credit report the card company used to evaluate you with, and he (or any "prudent person" for that matter) could see that you were a bad risk coming and going, the card company shouldn't be able to collect on the debt at all because they were STUPID (and negligent) to give you (anyone with bad credit) a card in the first place! This would especially apply to a lot of accounts given to college kids with no job history, in the hope that they will land big money jobs later, but instead wind up ruining their credit from the get-go.

-- GT (nospam@nospam.com), December 31, 2001.

It sounds to me like many people have had the unexpected expense of a medical emergency that, later, rides them with financial debt. Well, wasn't it lucky at the time, to be able to access medical care when your life/health or that of a loved one depended upon it? So why feel that the debt is unfair years later, when you are still paying it off? The wise thing to glean from this is the uncalculated benefit of making regular payments for major medical insurance. It can wipe you out if you are uninsured and need hospitalization. And don't believe anyone who may tell you that the cost of healthcare to the rest of us is unaffected by the bad debt written off each year by hospitals and clinics. Hard working people who depend on their paychecks get laid off each year due to people walking away from their financial obligations. And no one ever changed their ways and became a gamefully employed, contributing member of society just due to being liberated from their accumulated debt. If you owe it, pay it. Take responsibility for your own actions. Set a good example for your children.

-- Dwight (Summit1762@aol.com), December 31, 2001.

Right on Dwight,

As you pointed out there is no free ride. If you declare bankruptcy someone else pays your bills. If you think banks and credit card companies just absorb the loss, and big stores like Sears etc. just let it go, guess again. If they did that they would no longer be in business. The number of bankruptcies they expect is automatically calculated in their cost of doing business. If the number of bankrupt customers climbs, so do their prices. Economics 101.

Talk to you later.

-- Bob in WI (bjwick@hotmail.com), December 31, 2001.

How about taking a second job? When hubby and I owed a lot of money (thousands) I worked a second job for a year till the debt was paid. I was gone from 7 am till 11 pm during the week but still had my weekends and the debt was eventually paid off.

-- Anita in NC (anitaholton@mindspring.com), December 31, 2001.

My advise is to pay off the $9,000.00. I would be tickled if all I owed was 9000 but I owe much,much more so I go to work everyday and on pay day my very first stop is the bank and I deposit almost everything because it takes about everthing I make to pay my bills.

I was telling my brother about how bad things were and how I had to cut way back on the spending, he said, "Why don't you file for bankruptsy like I did?" I said, "Because I am the one who made the bills so I'll be the one to pay the bills." My brother said, "George you are so stupid, credit card companies love for people to file for bankruptsy." My brother than told me about all of his new credit cards, his new car and his new house. I said, "I am going to pay who I owe, what I owe." My brother still insisted that I was being stupid. I tryed to explain to him that if in the future I needed a loan I did not want to have to have someone co-sign for me. I also mentioned that someone has to pay for others debts if they fail to pay. My brother said, "So." So much for trying to reason with him. He still thinks I'm really stupid for cutting up my credit cards.

So, go ahead and pay your bills. You'll feel alot better for doing it the right way. If I only had 9000 I could pay that off in 1 year of course two people working here. I hope that what ever you choose that things work out for you.

-- george (bngcrview@aol.com), December 31, 2001.

My grandfather who died 49 years ago said something that impressed me at about 11. If you make a deal stick with it, you should think it all the way through before you make the deal, but once made its your word as a man that seals it. If your word is no good then you can't be much. Even for medical bills, if you don't entend to pay you should just refuse the treatment. To accept the treatment or merchandise and not pay for it is no different in my book than stealing. Most say I am hard hearted but when I find my doctor is writing off over half of the money owed to him while I am paying all my bill, which is outrageous because of the deadbeats really gets my goat. Now I am not talking about the people that trully can't pay but the ones that whine its just so hard and I want a new car, TV, stero, so I think I will just decide not to pay my just and honest debts. Good Grief Charle Brown.

-- David in North Alabama (bluewaterfarm@mindspring.com), December 31, 2001.

I vehemently disagree with Karen. DO NOT go to a bankruptcy attorney and ask what you should do. Think about it. He has a vested interest in you declaring bankruptcy. If you do, he gets paid. If you don't, he doesn't get paid. Ever wonder why the initial 'consultation' is free? It's a sales call for the attorney.

Would you ask the local car dealer if you should buy a car? Would you ask the local appliance dealer if you should be a new refrigerator?

As to your plight, don't declare bankruptcy over $9,000.00. I've read some of the prior answers here and there's good advice to be gleaned. Consider a second job. If you're being charged interest still contact the creditors and try to work something out to reduce it. Consider contacting Consumer Credit Counseling or one of the other similar outfits. Just about anything is better than bankruptcy. Good luck to you. I hope this helps.

-- Gary in Indiana (gk6854@aol.com), January 01, 2002.

Oh yes, go ahead and declare bankruptcy, the rest of us tax paying folks just LOVE paying off people like you debts!!!!

Be responsible, act like an adult, and pay your own debts, so what if it takes years, next time make sure you have INSURANCE before you have ANYTHING else, like a car or truck payment!

-- Annie Miller in SE OH (annie@1st.net), January 01, 2002.

Lee,

Call these folks before you do anything further. They can help.

Genus Credit Management

Also, getting bankruptcy counseling from a bankruptcy attorney who will only make money from you if you declare bankruptcy is like .... well, you already know what his answer will be.

-- Steve in So. WI (Alpine1@prodigy.net), January 02, 2002.

and don't forget that declaring bankruptcy has effects on the people you owe.

This morning, one of my friends emailed me, telling me that his architectural firm does a lot of work with Enron, that company that filed for bankruptcy in December. Because of this, the firm he works for has had to lay off a lot of people who did work for Enron, one of their major clients. He was one of the layed off.

He's got a kid less than a year old, a mortage, a car payment and lives in a major city where it takes bucks to survive. He is in a world of hurt.

-- j.r. guerra (jrguerra@boultinghousesimpson.com), January 02, 2002.

My friend recently had treatment for lymes disease and as he had a $5,000.00 deductible on his Blue Cross/Blue Shield med insurance, ended up with about $4k in bills.

He and I reviewed these bills and found the typical $25.00 bandaids and such overcharges.

Had he been able to afford a lower deductible, he would have seen the insurance company would have gotten a much lower bill as we compared his bills to my bills as I was in the hospital 3 times last year with only a $2000.00 deductible.

Filing bankruptcy is not right, but neither is it right to be taken advantage of by the medical folks.

I don't know what the real answer is here, but I think I would pay as I could and after a few years, the whole debt might just get written off as the creditors would make more money that way as a tax shelter to offset their $25.00 bandaid income than they would waiting for the balance to be paid.

Gary

-- Gary from MN (hpysheep@midwestinfo.com), January 02, 2002.

Gary (from MN), I would think it would be very difficult to compare any two stays in the same hospital, even for the same condition (say "normal childbirth"), never mind different conditions. How could you compare Lyme disease to gall bladder surgery, for example? You can't.

And quite honestly, some of those overcharges may actually be charges for services/products that were not rendered at all (which happens more than you might think), and so in that case, your friend needs to take it up with the hospital, and or whomever in the state oversees the health insurance companies. Hopefully someone was visiting him and could see what was actually provided and not provided.

One reason people go for the higher deductible is so that their payments are affordable, and usually people who go this route are in reasonably good health. So, in some cases, you can actually save money this way, and self-insure up to a point. Unfortunately, many do not really look at their finances to make sure that $5000 is really there for them to use if need be, they're just looking at lower premiums, and that's where they get in trouble.

Finally, debt is not written off, other people are affected, some with devastating results, as the poster just above you mentioned. Bankruptcy is wrong in most cases (if you go back and actually look at the debts, it is pretty obvious), and is especially wrong when one could have afforded medical insurance but chose not to make it a priority and instead spent the money on other stuff.

-- GT (nospam@nospam.com), January 02, 2002.

quote: As afr as everyone else having to pay the debts you owe,it doesnt happen.They are written off and the government will not let the companies charge higher rates just to get even.

-------------- I'm sorry to have to live in a society where people are that foolish & stupid & small-minded & self-obbsessed. Several said the above thing, and it is shameful.

As to the debt, I would go over those medical bills with a fine-toothed comb, as they are often over-inflated & extras are added that were not offered/provided/done. After going through medicaid files with my parents, it is amazing how a private person would be billed $768 for a proccedure, but medicare only allows $433 for it, & the hospital takes it as payment in full. Many insurance policies are set up the same way. This is also shameful.

Without knowing your situation or efforts so far, I would explore renegotiating the bill with the medical place, and possibly getting a bank loan to pay it off in full at a lower amount. There probably are some wrong charges & room for adjustment, so it might be halved if they got paid in a lump sum. Just a thought.

At any rate, such a small amount of bills is not worth the bankruptsy route. It would be a negative on you out in the country. While medical bills aren't in the same class as racking up credit card & car bills & then walking away, you should attempt to pay a fair share for the work done.

--->Paul

-- paul (ramblerplm@hotmail.com), January 02, 2002.

Hi,

I was in the hospital four years ago, and when I got out my husband and I got the bill. I had no surgery, but racked up 28,000 in medical bills. We looked over the bill and had about 8,000 in charges which never should have been charged. I was charged for tests that weren't done, medicine which wasn't given and meals that weren't brought to me. My husband stayed with me and recorded everything that was given to me, all tests, etc. so we could compare the real charges with those that were "made up" by the hospital. Every dose of medicine, every iv change, etc. was written down including any and all trips to x ray, etc.

When we notified my insurance company of the overcharges, they told me that they had already paid the bill and it was more trouble than it was worth to try to get a refund. The company representative told me that the insurance co. wasn't interested. I was and still am, puzzled by that. I sure would want a refund if it were my money. And ins. companies complain about high doctor bills and hospital bills... I even called back and spoke with a different representative who told me the same thing. So sometimes it is the insurance company who doesn't care about the bill.

-- Cindy (colawson@mindspring.com), January 02, 2002.

Gee Cindy, your experience sounds strange. I have heard just the opposite, that some insurance companies will actually pay you a portion of the erroneous charges (like at least 10%) because what they and the hospital is doing is in all likelihood criminal. At the very least most insurance companies DO want to know about overcharges.

Did you ever write to anyone about it? Lots of times phone calls (and emails too, I suspect) just get forgotten. It is much, much harder to ignore letters, especially when sent certified.

-- GT (nospam@nospam.com), January 02, 2002.

No I didn't write to the company, but I did fax a copy of the overcharges to them. No one responded back to me and when I checked with the hospital, the bill had been paid according to the 80/20 rule. I had to pay 20% of the bill, but I did get a reduction based on the erroneous charges for my part. The insurance company did not pursue their part, so paid the whole amount presented to them.

You would be surprised (maybe not) how many times hospitals do this to patients. Of course, unless the patient has someone staying with them who records the actions taken, it becomes a your word against their word situation. And guess who will win? I don't mind paying what I owe, but it really infuriates me to think that hospitals can get away with padding bills just because the patient is too sick to take notice of what was or wasn't done to them.

-- Cindy (colawson@mindspring.com), January 03, 2002.

HAS ANYONE TRIED GENUS CREDIT MANAGEMENT? OR OTHER SUCH SERVICE?

-- loretta in iowa park,tx (johnray@wf.net), January 03, 2002.