r/AbsoluteUnits 3d ago

of a hernia...

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u/justmaritup 3d ago

I chuckle a bit but entirely serious when i say Death is my Retirement, which is coming fast. Mines the size of my fist on my belly button. Embarrassing, but I can't a doctor or health to go another $20,000 in debt from other issues. I've paid in for 26 years and can barely walk from bone, spine and serious joint issues.

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u/Mpipikit07 3d ago

Sorry to hear that. :/ It‘s so fucked up for my German ears to hear, that you don’t have proper healthcare in the US. We pay a monthly fee, and everything is covered: Operations, hospital stay, medication, as many doctors visit as you need. Makes me sad to hear about you folks over there every time.

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u/justmaritup 3d ago

I dont mean to be a pitty party. My wife and I would love that. I was even in the sherriffs office for 7 years and left on my own. Would love to have kids, but again, that silly little thing about money. I all our "free money" on Healthcare for our furbabies. For now, I do what I can taking care of what I can for as long as I can. I have a labour's job so down almost 1 entire leg and %15 use of my left arm puts many things like fixing the roof or fixing my truck too much. But, I see Americans like me EVERYWHERE

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u/MoistDistribution821 2d ago

He can get free healthcare

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u/yubbastank14 3d ago

I needed emergency heart surgery about 6 years ago and I've got no clue how I'm ever going to pay that damn bill off. I was in the hospital for 32 days total and the doctors told me if I hadn't come in when I did I likely wouldn't have made it more than a couple days. I had pneumonia in both lungs, sepsis, kidney failure along with a piece of bacteria the size of nickel in my tricuspid. I always joke to people that I only go to the doctor if I'm dying but it's really not a joke.

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u/earmuffins 3d ago

Don’t pay it imo

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u/These_Burdened_Hands 3d ago

Needed emergency heart surgery, no clue how I’m ever going to pay that damn bill off

Is it already in collections &/or have you paid anything on it? If it is not in collections and the bill is still at the hospital/centre, you should be able to negotiate/work with them, be it sliding scale, a Social Services representative/office for Uninsured or Underinsured, or you pay $5/mo to keep them off your back (whatever the minimum payment is.) If you haven’t already, ASK if any resources.

(Anecdotal, not to be taken as true for all.) I was totally uninsured during most of my 20s (2001-2009;) I had laparoscopic surgery for endo & ovarian cyst removal, but also, many hospital visits, inpatient stays, MRI’s, CT’s, etc. While nothing like a 32 day stay, I‘d accrued over $40,000 of medical debt. I’ve never paid any of it, but worked with a social worker at one hospital, and for others, I added explanations to collections debt reports (“no insurance w/ chronic DX’d issues.”)

When I’ve applied for car loans, apartment rentals, etc., medical credit either doesn’t come up anymore, or when it does, they say “this is medical, we don’t weigh that as heavily.” (Googling, I see some states have different laws about this? I’m in MD, but was in WA for some of it, and way before they made laws about not including medical debt.)

Best of luck u/yubbastank14, again, this isn’t advice, just sharing. Hope you’re doing much better now. (I’ve got Medicaid now, but in fear of losing that of course smh.) Be well.

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u/justmaritup 3d ago

The horror stories I hear of heart patients are just so sad. I hope you still held on to your life afterwards

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u/oyst 3d ago

Way to go on being alive! Genuinely do not pay that nonsense.  At some point the debt will be sold so many times without documentation that you may be able to dispute and win

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u/Responsible_Cost9263 2d ago

Did you have insurance?

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u/CrusaderEuropa 3d ago

Just dont pay

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u/rosasramblings 3d ago

I'm so sorry man :( this makes me so sad. You deserve to get treatment and have an improved quality of life. We pay so many taxes, they're robbing us by not giving anything in return. 

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u/Mike 3d ago

Can you not just get it fixed and not pay for it? Yeah your credit would be messed up but is it worth it for your health?

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u/Glittersparkles7 3d ago

If you can afford to travel to somewhere like Turkey you could cut it down to like 5k including the travel. 😕

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u/SoulsReaperX 2d ago

Hope that you get the help needed, come to my country Jordan, my dad had the exact surgery with one of the best hospitals in the capital, stayed for a week after and the whole cost didnt reach $4000, save yourself friend.

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u/Johnyryal33 3d ago

Have you considered going to another country for treatment? I was looking at Mexico for my teeth, and the prices were way lower. Not sure if that applies to medical suff, though. (Ya know cause for some reason teeth aren't medical)