Medical debt continues to be a problem for many Americans

Bills related to medical care and emergency needs are a significant financial burden for many in Tennessee and across the country. Even people with steady jobs, reasonable income and health insurance find themselves facing insurmountable medical debt after a procedure or just one visit to the emergency room. One problem is that many people don’t know the cost beforehand of the type of care they are receiving.

One man says that back surgery a year ago saved him from paralysis, but he may spend the rest of his life paying off his medical bills. He went to a local ER for surgery on a severe hernia, yet soon after he was home recovering, the bills started to arrive. At one point, he was facing medical bills that amounted to around $650,000. Despite the fact that he was sent to the ER by a specialist for immediate surgery after an MRI, his insurance stated that it did not qualify as an emergency procedure.

To pay these bills, he took almost $50,000 out of his retirement savings. With the help of a third-party negotiating company, he was able to get his balance down to around $220,000. Still, this is an enormous amount of money. He is only one of many people who are overwhelmed with surprise medical bills every year.

Medical debt can be crippling for a Tennessee consumer. If a reader can no longer pay his or her bills, he or she may want to consider the benefits of bankruptcy. This may not be a person’s first choice, but it can allow an individual to effectively confront certain types of debt and secure a better financial future.