Okay, I have a massive hospital bill in the state of Oklahoma. I am not an Oklahoma resident, I am a?

Question

Louisiana resident. I have a Louisiana Medical Card and I was wondering if I could use that for the bill, even though this happened back on June 30. I literally can't afford to pay this bill. It is almost 600 dollars and they did nothing for me. Please help.

Answer 1

I would call the insurance company and ask them. It should be covered, but I am not familiar with state insurance's. Just call, at least you will know what your next step is.

Answer 2

You need to contact your insurance company and ask them to get involved.

Answer 3

You probably have no idea at just how small that hospital bill is, especially if it was an emergency room visit.  I'd say you got off lucky to have just a $600 bill.  Of course, if you don't have the means to pay it, then of course it seems like a lot of money.

Most states will not cover medical care provided in another state, except, perhaps, if it was an extreme emergency.  You should contact your state's Medicaid office and see if they will cover it.  If not, you need to contact the hospital where you got the medical care and explain to them what your financial situation is.  Many states have programs to help people out who can't pay.  This is done so hospitals, who are forced by federal law to see anyone who shows up for care, aren't always stuck without payment.

If you cannot get any help at all with the bill, make arrangements with the hospital to pay it off a little at a time, but don't let them bully you into making larger payments than you can afford to pay.

Lastly, if you can't afford to pay anything at all, the hospital will mostly likely turn the account over to a collection agency.  The collection agency contracts with the hospital to collect the debt and then they get to keep part of what is collected, generally about 50%.  So, for a $600 debt, the collection agency could get around $300.  This is important to know in case they contact you and start making threats, implied or actual, about contacting a lawyer or taking the case to court.  For $300, they're not going to do anything beyond sending you a few letters or calling you a few times.  If this happens, go to the Federal Trade Commission site and look up information about the law covering fair debt collection practices.

Answer 4

600 is not exactly massive.  600k is massive, this is nothing.

You need to find out if LA will pay from them, I would suppose it depends on the circumstances and why you had treatment in OK.

Answer 5

$600 is not massive.  Pay the bill.

Answer 6

Take majormom's advice.  She is right on.  I used to work as a consultant for hospital businesses all over the country, and that is the exact advice I would give.  Most importantly, if LA will not pay for an out-of-state claim, just keep in contact with the hospital who provided you with the service.  As the previous poster stated, there are programs available for those who cannot financially afford the medical bills, no matter how large or small.  In addition, you should be expecting them to ask you some question about your personal finances.  Most companies do not want to have to write off a bill, but are more than willing to help out if you are in need.  Good luck with everything.  I know financial issues can be stressful.

Answer 7

Was this E.R. service?  $600 is not "massive" but why don't you start by talking to your insurer?