Obama Seeks to Help Those Bankrupt by Medical Bills
Bankruptcy is no picnic. Having to legally declare yourself officially broke in hopes of someday cleaning your slate and getting back on your feet isn’t easy for anyone, and there are always countless contributing, individual factors as to why someone finds themselves whispering “bankrupt.” For those who gamble away their savings, lose their homes and drink away the last of their pennies, they are left to lie in a bed of their own making. However, President Elect Obama is proposing a dramatic change in some legislature which would help those people and families who had to file bankruptcy because of medical bills. What does this mean for the average American and is it really as good as it seems?
A Bankruptcy Reprieve
If you were to take a peek at Obama’s economic agenda, you’d see this listed in a bullet point: “Obama and Biden will create an exemption in bankruptcy law for individuals who can prove they filed for bankruptcy because of medical expenses. This exemption will create a process that forgives the debt and lets the individuals get back on their feet.” Taken from the horse’s mouth, or as close to that as we can get before Obama takes office, this seems like a dream scenario. If you are someone who has had to give up everything to spend down to the last penny on medical expenses for your loved one (partially covered by your health insurance or not), this may seem like the savings grace you have been dreaming of. But are all people in this scenario: virtuous, thrifty spenders who have only gone into such horrendous debt due to medical bills?
Health Insurance: Right or Privilege?
Thinking about these scenarios, about people who lost everything they have because they are simply trying to spend money on medical care in order to survive, makes me sad. I come from a family of diabetics, and fortunately every single one of them has had health insurance to help cover their expenses, treatments and advising from their physician. But what if my father, an adult-onset diabetic, didn’t have health insurance coverage through his retired Navy benefits? Where would he be right now? Struggling to pay his boat mortgage, slip fees, take care of himself, and his adorable black cat all while having to pay out of pocket for insulin, regular doctors visits and tests?
Health First
You can bet that his money would disappear in a flash, and that would cause his health to deteriorate and the vicious cycle would just keep heading right on down the drain. Fortunately, my father doesn’t have to worry about this, but you can bet that thousands of other Americans do. Food tonight, or going into debt for medication? If all citizens in this country were simply able to receive the health care they needed without having to worry about paying for it, they could focus on living a healthy life and keeping food on the table.
I can imagine the stress falls even more heavily on those trying to make a living by being self employed, a practice I greatly applaud. Good for you for getting out from underneath the corporate thumb and making things happen for yourself. If you are self-employed and worried about your insurance situation, you’re definitely not alone.
photo credit: sha in LA
Tags: bankruptcy, health care, health care cost, health insurance, health insurance coverage, medical bills, obama
May 25th, 2009 at 12:55 pm
May 24, 2009
Mr. President Obama: Please see below, I’m sorry I don’t have a comment, I have a major crisis. This is the letter I sent today via email.
Hello Mr. Ozburn:
My name is Lena Tolbert. My husband had a stroke and was brought to your emergency room back in April 2006, one week before our insurance would have been effective. He was unable to sign the consent forms so I signed them for him and we are now being sued by your organization for $12000. He was able to keep a job for about 2 years after that. He is now working temp jobs paying anywhere from 8-11$ per hour, and sometimes not working at all. My income is our main source for everyday living. We are barley making ends meet now. We have a house payment/car payment and other bills for living necessities. The court awarded us to pay $50 per month recently as before we were making $100 payments. I was making the payments but they were running late sometimes. I cannot afford to make these payments. We can barely eat and now Southern Hills has issued a garnishment against my wages beginning on June 12, 2009. This is extremely hard for us. This is only making my husband more sick as it seems there is no way out and all he (we) can do is think about paying this bill and having money left over for necessary living. This is driving us to nothing but stress, chest pains, aching bones and joints. If you could just maybe freeze the payments until we are able to pay that would be a blessing in itself. I am not asking that you dismiss the bill as it is our responsibility but right now it is just impossible to make these payments with my income being our only source of living. I do not make much money, I only make $14.50 per hour and have to try and pay everything that I can from these wages. Your organization has to know that now is one of the worst times in history to have a job and or money. With the financial crisis that we as a Country are facing now, there just has to be some terms that we can come to without you garnishing my wages. As I look at my husband and dread telling him this because I know what it is going to do to him, I somewhat have to take on this burden solo. I don’t want to make him any sicker than he is but all the time I’m bringing the aching bones, chest pains and headaches to myself.
I searched google high and low to come accross your name as CEO of Southern Hills so please do not toss this letter to the side and do nothing about it as you hold our well being in your hands as you read this letter.
I realize that I am just an ordinary person but I am a tax paying American in need of serious help.
I just know that Southern Hills can afford to wait on this money more so than I can afford to make the payments. Please help me as I am desperate
I am not proud to have to write this letter and beg for help as we are people that has always paid our bills until this unfortunate incident but I just don’t know what else to do. If we go back to court they are only going to be very harsh as it seems they are judging us for not being able to make the payments and I know they will not freeze the payments, that’s why I am writing you personally. Please Please Please help us, I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t need it.
I realize it seems a bit extreme ccing the President but you will not know the impact of this hardship until you have walked in my shoes.
Thank you in advance for your attention to this matter,
Lena Tolbert
CC: President Obama The White House