This is a longtime friend of mine

[carlton_fritz]

her family needs help. https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-the-...is-medical-icuhttps://gofund.me/f668fb6fhttps://gofund.me/f668fb6f

[carlton_fritz]

Update: Shirley posted 5 hours ago

My husband of 16 years just passed away tonight unexpectedly. I fought hard with him and loved him just as hard. He was my life. We spent every second together. Please pray for me as I embark on this new phase of life all alone.

[86RAG]

Sorry to hear.

[snide]

[Strats-N-Vettes]

My condolences.

[04 commemorative]

[Aerovette]

Sad that not much was collected.

[MadInNc]

[mrvette]

[Old Ben]

[Bill]

Damn. Sorry for the loss of your friend.

[carlton_fritz]

Originally Posted by aerovette

Sad that not much was collected.

She started a funeral expense one. Got $600. https://gofund.me/dc8290de

[carlton_fritz]

Originally Posted by bill_daniels

Damn. Sorry for the loss of your friend.

I never met the husband, but thanks for the thought.

[SnikPlosskin]

Originally Posted by carlton_fritz

her family needs help. https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-the-...is-medical-icuhttps://gofund.me/f668fb6fhttps://gofund.me/f668fb6f

Tell her to not pay. Do not pay. They can do nothing to you. They will write it off or send to collections. Ignore them too. They will give up. Serious. Take her stress away there is literally nothing they can do.

[04 commemorative]

I think collections would cause more stress and do credit harm too

[SnikPlosskin]

Originally Posted by 04 commemorative

I think collections would cause more stress and do credit harm too

Here’s the thing. Your credit score means nothing. It is an artificial construct created by banks. People are brainwashed thinking that some terrible thing will happen if they don’t pay medical bills.

The fact is, the hospitals have created billing systems designed to rip off insurance companies. These systems are so complex, they can’t substantiate their own billing in court.

Furthermore the papers they coerce you into signing are not legal contracts.

If you are wealthy, the strategy won’t work because they theoretically can get a judgment. This is very rare. But if the OPs friend is struggling, she need to take care of herself and not worry about whether or not the people who run the hospital might miss a steak dinner or a payment on their Mercedes.

If you can pay those bills it’s the right thing to do, as long as you confirm the billing is correct. But too many people end up living in poverty because they believe the big lie that these companies have power over you.

They don’t. Medical debt is treated differently than other debt in credit reports.

I have zero stress about it. I block their phone numbers or if I have to, I force them to follow the Fair Credit and Debt Collection Act. They always disappear because they have no case.

Eat and pay rent or take a fifty point hit on a meaningless score banks created to fool you into thinking they have power? I’ll choose to take care of my family every time.

[Iron Chef]

Very sorry to hear.

Originally Posted by SnikPlosskin

Here’s the thing. Your credit score means nothing. It is an artificial construct created by banks. People are brainwashed thinking that some terrible thing will happen if they don’t pay medical bills...

Hospitals have what they call a “charitable write-off” in which they can, at their discretion, write off a debt when it is determined that an individual is truly indigent and/or cannot afford to pay. IF that happens, she is basically home free.

FICO does treat medical debt differently than regular debt because they consider it an expense that, for the most part, is out of your control. But it's not a free pass. If a medical debt does go on your credit, you will still be dinged for it, but to a lesser degree than defaulting on a house or car. However, that doesn’t mean that a FICO score is meaningless. I pay 3.2% on my car loan. If you have a score that’s below 650 and you want to buy a car, you’ll likely pay 15% interest on that same loan. That’s a shitload of extra money that you’ll have to shell out monthly over the life of the loan.

If a person has no plans to (or is not in a position to) make any major purchases...or even carry a credit card...then giving collectors the proverbial finger is probably an OK strategy. I’d guess that in this situation, major purchases are the furthest thing from this lady’s mind...as they should be. But generally speaking, living a lifestyle approaching that of the Unabomber isn’t a really great life plan. Unless...well...that’s one’s thing.

All that said, if it came down to paying a collector or hospital a debt versus keeping my family fed, family wins every time and I’d sleep soundly about that decision. But dismissing the impact of bad credit or a bad FICO score because you don’t agree with or don’t believe in the system, or you think that the system is rigged (which, BTW, it might very well be) is a fool’s errand because it’s what lending institutions work with, whether any of us likes it or not.

[SnikPlosskin]

Originally Posted by Iron Chef

Very sorry to hear.



Hospitals have what they call a “charitable write-off” in which they can, at their discretion, write off a debt when it is determined that an individual is truly indigent and/or cannot afford to pay. IF that happens, she is basically home free.

FICO does treat medical debt differently than regular debt because they consider it an expense that, for the most part, is out of your control. But it's not a free pass. If a medical debt does go on your credit, you will still be dinged for it, but to a lesser degree than defaulting on a house or car. However, that doesn’t mean that a FICO score is meaningless. I pay 3.2% on my car loan. If you have a score that’s below 650 and you want to buy a car, you’ll likely pay 15% interest on that same loan. That’s a shitload of extra money that you’ll have to shell out monthly over the life of the loan.

If a person has no plans to (or is not in a position to) make any major purchases...or even carry a credit card...then giving collectors the proverbial finger is probably an OK strategy. I’d guess that in this situation, major purchases are the furthest thing from this lady’s mind...as they should be. But generally speaking, living a lifestyle approaching that of the Unabomber isn’t a really great life plan. Unless...well...that’s one’s thing.

All that said, if it came down to paying a collector or hospital a debt versus keeping my family fed, family wins every time and I’d sleep soundly about that decision. But dismissing the impact of bad credit or a bad FICO score because you don’t agree with or don’t believe in the system, or you think that the system is rigged (which, BTW, it might very well be) is a fool’s errand because it’s what lending institutions work with, whether any of us likes it or not.

Agree it’s not optimal. My point is it’s one thing she should not worry about right now. Same thing with my mom who lives on $1,800 a month SS. She will go without food to pay the hospital. She gets very stressed over it which makes her Crohns Disease worse. It literally makes her sick.

My heart goes out to the OP and his friend. Sometimes paying a higher interest rate is trivial compared to the stress and poverty caused by unexpected health concerns. To be clear, this strategy is not for those who can afford to pay.

It is for those who’s circumstances make it impossible. Point being, it’s not worth the stress. Nothing terrible will happen.

[simpleman68]

Sorry to hear he didn't pull through. When I read about the sepsis and organs shutting down, I didn't think he would.

Awful to think about spending final years, especially when there's a fair amount remaining, without your mate. It's a harsh reality I hope I never have to deal with.
Scott

[carlton_fritz]

Since I can't seem to quote any post in this thread...




She mentioned that she has $800 to her name and no income. She has Reynaud's disease too. Survived breast cancer.