Medical Malpractice

Hospital and insurance?

My boyfriend when to a hospital in Texas and the bill came to $12,500. They keeps sending letters for full payment, he has health insurance but they say that they don't take ohio medicare, how can he pay it if he's only making about 20,000 a year.

Public Comments

1. installment payment.
2. Does he have medicare or medicaid? You wrote "Ohio medicare," so I wonder whether you mean Ohio medical assistance (medicaid)? Before he goes any further, he needs to contact the entity that covers him (there should be a contact number on his membership card) and ask what federal and/or state laws may affect this situation. It's my understanding that, since Medical Assistance is a federal program, he's protected from being balance-billed. But I don't know all of the facts.
3. Well, since Medicare is a Federal program for people age 65 or older or certain disabled people, I'm sort of wondering what Ohio Medicare is. If he has Ohio MEDICAID, he disqualified himself when he moved to Texas so I don't think he has coverage there either. If he was just on vacation in Texas, but still a resident of Ohio, you'd have to ask the Ohio Medicaid office if they will cover a hospital in Texas. Otherwise, about the only thing he can do is call the hospital and work out payments.
4. He needs to call the billing office and make out a payment arrangement with them - $25 or $50 a month, until it's paid.
5. Work out a payment plan. If he plans well he will be able to deduct the medical expenses from his taxes next year.
6. Get a debt consolidation loan to pay if off. You can comparison-shop at the below website