Payment Arrangements
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| Tue, 05-19-2009 - 7:00pm |
Hi,
The past few years have been rough. I'm sorry if this gets long. Due to an assault, I was left permanently injured and had to give up my career and business, I became a SAHM. My DH was working, we had always lived below our means and lived only on his check because one day I was going to become a SAHM. We also had an emergency fund. A year after the injury, my DH was laid off. Within a month, he got another job...6 months later, he was laid off again. This time for 3 months, during that time we had no insurance and I still had treatments. I was trying to go without them as much as possible to save us some money. DH got another job but the insurance didn't kick in for 6 months. We were told we didn't qualify for WIC or any type of assistance because of our savings and DH was making good money at the time. I ended up signing up for a temporary insurance just to have our DD who was only a year and quite the daredevil at the time covered. I knew they wouldn't cover me because I was already injured. During this time, the medical bills started coming in...the ones when we had insurance and the ones when we didn't. I'd call to make payment arrangements and they wouldn't accept what I said I could afford. They told me that they couldn't accept that amount it had to be whatever amount they said. We ended up dipping more into our emergency fund. A bill that I either didn't receive or overlooked ended up not being paid, the billing department from the hospital called, yelling for the money, threatening collections and I ended up putting that bill on the credit card.
A year later, things seemed to be getting better and wouldn't you know it, DH was laid off again. This time for 6 months. We had no money coming in except the little job I had a few days a week, the company denied unemployment to the workers because they were trying to say that they were only term workers...this fight went on for 3 months. DH was delivering pizzas, taking odd handyman jobs to make extra money. Again, no insurance and I couldn't get the temporary one because it hadn't been a year yet. My DD who is now 2 ended up going to the ER for stitches. We had to put that on the credit card, which I know was stupid but these people are so intimidating. We had to use the rest of our savings for rent and we ended up putting electric and phone on the credit card. DH is now working again. We've been fortunate that everytime he gets laid off he gets a better job. This one, he's not making as much money right now, he will be moving up to almost where he was when he was laid off from the last job in 6 months but we get free cable and internet (only have to pay the $10 taxes) and our phone bill is cut in half. The insurance is much better too.
We got caught up on the CC bill and most of the other medical bills. In February, we were going out and I missed a step and ended up in the ER with a fractured ankle. The insurance kicked in the day I did this. We hadn't met our deductible and had to pay $100 up front just for walking in the ER. The bills are now coming in and I know we can't afford to pay it all at once. I called to make arrangements for the ER bill. It's $500. The man asked me how much I was thinking of paying and after doing the bills I told him I could afford to pay $30 a month. He told me that he can't accept that. I would have to pay $50 a month. I told him I couldn't afford that and he basically told me too bad. I told him I'd call back later.
I've been through the bills and I can't afford what they want me to pay. Even with my little job and making the crafts for baby showers. I don't understand if I'm calling in good faith to want to pay my bill and make arrangements, why won't they work with me. They don't know my bills and I know they don't care. Wouldn't it make more sense to accept what I can afford than nothing at all? I need to make arrangements but I don't know what more to do or say when they tell me what I'm offering isn't good enough.

list all your income and all your bills and
I'm so sorry for your husband's streak of bad luck lay offs.
Norma
"Patience is the best remedy for every trouble"- Plautus