How to Get Rid of Your Medical Debt from COVID

If you’re one of the millions of people who have suffered from COVID-19, you know how stressful and dangerous this virus can be. And it’s so much worse for anyone hospitalized: tests, medications, and overnight expenses all add up to astronomical COVID medical debt.

If you’re facing high medical bills right now, you’re not alone. In fact, more than 50% of all the people who’ve gotten sick with COVID-19 or lost income during the pandemic now struggle with medical debt.

One 2020 study found COVID hospitalization costs the average person $11,267, with an average cost of $1,772 per day. Going to the ICU for COVID was even higher: over $13,000 a person on average! The numbers are worse for older patients, anyone with pre-existing conditions, and those patients who required a ventilator.

These rates are impossible for most people to pay off. Even with insurance, a bill that high would hurt a lot of families. And what’s worse, you’re getting those bills at a time you can’t work because of your illness or pandemic shutdowns! It’s left thousands if not millions of Americans in financial distress.

Options for Getting Out of Medical Debt

Fortunately, if you’re facing serious COVID medical debt, you do have options.

1. Try to Negotiate

First, if you have insurance, you can actually call and talk with your insurance company. Some companies will work with you to set up a payment plan. It depends on the company, your particular plan, and how much debt you owe. You can also try negotiating with your individual doctor or hospital.

If you go this route, do your research first. Try to find the wholesale cost of the treatment you received, and compare that to your medical bill so you know if/how you’ve been priced up. You should be able to get the billing codes from your insurance company to make sure the hospital billed everything correctly.

2. Apply for Debt Relief Aid Programs

Did you stay in a nonprofit hospital? Federal law actually requires nonprofit hospitals to provide financial assistance to low-income patients who can’t repay their bills. To find out if you qualify, you can provide the hospital with documentation of your income level, like pay stubs and tax returns.

There are also medical debt relief programs through non-profits. Here in Memphis for example, some churches have special funds set aside to help if you have a serious, short-term financial need. Medical debt from an illness like COVID certainly qualifies.

But what if none of these options are enough? Or what if, like millions of Americans, you have other debts too, like credit cards?

A Legal Solution to Medical Debt

There’s one legally-binding solution to medical debt that’s written into law to protect people who can’t pay their bills: filing bankruptcy.

Bankruptcy is a government-supported law that prevents creditors from harassing you over your debt for years to come. It frees you up to live your life without the stress of medical bills following you around.

As a Memphis bankruptcy lawyer, I’ve helped thousands of people find medical debt relief while solving their other debt problems, too. I understand why medical debt is so scary, what fears you might have about filing bankruptcy, and how to help you through it all so you can finally have a fresh start.

If you need real relief, I’m here to help. The conversation is totally free. You’ll get an idea of what we do and how it might help you, no strings attached.

To get medical debt relief today, call me at 901-327-2100 or just fill out the form below. We’d be glad to talk with you.

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