Hospital Bill

[wellmux 3]

Hi everyone I am a green card holder and in 2 more years i will file for citizenship, I went to hospital here in USA and can not pay the bill would it effect on my citizenship when i file for it?

or they will reject my application when i file for my citizenship because i have to give money to hospital.

Here in USA hospitals charge alot of money , i been to hospital and as i make low money i can not pay the hospital bill and hospital have sent my case to collection aggencies.

I am worried.

[v333k 59]

I doubt it will affect the process... as long as you don't owe uncle Sam, then they have no beef with you.

Hi everyone I am a green card holder and in 2 more years i will file for citizenship, I went to hospital here in USA and can not pay the bill would it effect on my citizenship when i file for it?

or they will reject my application when i file for my citizenship because i have to give money to hospital.

Here in USA hospitals charge alot of money , i been to hospital and as i make low money i can not pay the hospital bill and hospital have sent my case to collection aggencies.

I am worried.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Hi everyone I am a green card holder and in 2 more years i will file for citizenship, I went to hospital here in USA and can not pay the bill would it effect on my citizenship when i file for it?

or they will reject my application when i file for my citizenship because i have to give money to hospital.

Here in USA hospitals charge alot of money , i been to hospital and as i make low money i can not pay the hospital bill and hospital have sent my case to collection aggencies.

I am worried.

Yeah, they will hound you and your spouse for the money until the day you die. They can attach your wages and drain your bank account, if they get a judgement against you, as well as take any property you own. You may have to see a bankruptcy lawyer.

http://articles.cnn.com/2009-06-05/health/bankruptcy.medical.bills_1_medical-bills-bankruptcies-health-insurance?_s=PM:HEALTH

Edited July 3, 2011 by Some Old Guy

[w8inglongtime 29]

Yeah, they will hound you and your spouse for the money until the day you die. They can attach your wages and drain your bank account, if they get a judgement against you, as well as take any property you own. You may have to see a bankruptcy lawyer.

http://articles.cnn.com/2009-06-05/health/bankruptcy.medical.bills_1_medical-bills-bankruptcies-health-insurance?_s=PM:HEALTH

CALM DOWN.. I think The OP was talking about USCIS giving them a hard time about the hospital bill when they file for N-400. The hospital can do what ever they want by taking civil actions but that will have no bearing on the application. USCIS only care about taxes being paid and laws being followed. They care less about your credit and who you owe. Even the U.S government can't pay all it's bills.

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

CALM DOWN.. I think The OP was talking about USCIS giving them a hard time about the hospital bill when they file for N-400. The hospital can do what ever they want by taking civil actions but that will have no bearing on the application. USCIS only care about taxes being paid and laws being followed. They care less about your credit and who you owe. Even the U.S government can't pay all it's bills.

I am calm. And, I agree this will have no direct bearing on applying for USC. However, this is a problem that will not go away on its own, and needs to be resolved quickly, before it overwhelms things.

Edited July 3, 2011 by Some Old Guy

[wellmux 3]

in january 2011 i went to hospital and they done my catherization they kept me in hospital for 3 days and after that i came back home and they sent me a bill of 22000 dollars thats ridiculous. by just looking at the bill amount i almost got a heart attack.

they charged me 3500 dollars for the hospital room, they sent me this bill to be paid like i am Bill Gates and i can pay that amount.

i get same kind of treatment in pakistan with only 5 cents it was not different than medical in pakisan actually pakistani governoment hospitals grants and bills paid by governoment.

I hope i would not face any problem when i apply for naturalization because i owe 22000 dollars to the hospital .

next time i have some medical reasons i will just go pakistan and get my treatment there.it will cost me 1600 dollars to get there plus i will get to see my family.

[w8inglongtime 29]

I am calm. And, I agree this will have no direct bearing on applying for USC. However, this is a problem that will not go away on its own, and needs to be resolved quickly, before it overwhelms things.

You are right about it not going away on it's own. At least not for the next 7 years. You only have 2 options. You strike a deal with them and pay them in bits till you can clear the debt or file for bankrupcy. Depending on the law in your state, they can garnish your wages or put a lien on your accounts. But since this is a immigration board, I will end by saying you don't have to let it stress you when it comes to your citizenship. There are a lot of applicants in your situation.

[Ayman___ 92]

Make a payment plan or just send every month some money even if it's 20 dollars.If your worried about the bill. At least you will be showing your trying to pay it.Keep all the receipts of what you pay.

[Glyn and Kathy 288]

As someone who has many medical bills (even with my insurance) I can tell you that they will be happy to accept small monthly payments. Also, look to see if that hospital has some type of charitable care program. They usually aren't a means tested benefit and you may be able to get the bill reduced down a bit. Just don't ignore it....

[moroccogirlny 100]

It will not affect your Citizenship however it will effect your credit history. You can negotiate a reduced fee. They might have charities that could supplement your payment depending on your income. You could pay $5 a month, they can't refuse that. You need to address the problem, it will not go away, and if you don't it will just get worse.

[Daniel&Theary 30]

I would suggest the Charitable act also. Alot of hospitals will waive medical bills if you can prove you can not afford to pay it. That is ONE reason but not the only (Greed is another)our medical is so out expensive here. They will probably discount your bill and let you make payments if not whip it out all together.

It will not affect your citizenship. But the bill will haunt you until taken care of can keep you from buying a house. Good luck to you

[Channah&Aaron 51]

; This is the biggest part I am worried about when moving to the US. The Hospital/doctor/dental/etc bills are way too expensive!!

In Holland, you pay 140 dollars per month and everything is covered !!!

If I get married with my fiance, I will be on his insurance and I'm covered for $250,000 dollars. it's weird that people here have $$$ above their heads.

Anyways, back to topic, OP I just think you should call them and ask if you can pay a certain amount per month. Let's say 50 or 100 dollars. 22000 for a 3 day stay is ridiculous and it should be covered by the government, I believe!

I wish you all the best because money problems can cause a lot of stress. Hang in there, it can't rain forever

As to America's Government.. Take a look at Canada and most of the European Countries where people won't put up with more stress ($$$) after being stressed about staying in a hospital already . YOU CAN LEARN FROM THAT!!!!!

Edited July 3, 2011 by Channah&Aaron

[mex 0]

Hi everyone I am a green card holder and in 2 more years i will file for citizenship, I went to hospital here in USA and can not pay the bill would it effect on my citizenship when i file for it?

or they will reject my application when i file for my citizenship because i have to give money to hospital.

Here in USA hospitals charge alot of money , i been to hospital and as i make low money i can not pay the hospital bill and hospital have sent my case to collection aggencies.

I am worried.

Right now they put you in from debt collection agency.The Hospital cant do anything about your case. in the first place you didn't make an arrangement with them about your Bill.that's why they refer your case to the debt collection. what you will do is to contact with them to make a settlement and they can help you out to get back on track. it will not effect your eligibility. Think twice

Edited July 3, 2011 by mex

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

Right now they put you in from debt collection agency.The Hospital cant do anything about your case. in the first place you didn't make an arrangement with them about your Bill.that's why they refer your case to the debt collection. what you will do is to contact with them to make a settlement and they can help you out to get back on track. it will not effect your eligibility. Think twice

Yep. Settlement is the key. I have seen hospitals forgive 50% to 70% for a cash settlement. $22,000 seems like a lot, but I have seen a four hour ER visit go over $100,000. Talk to a lawyer if things don't makes sense to you at this point. You need to protect your property and future earnings. It's hard living without credit, and having to pay for everything in advance with cash.

Edited July 3, 2011 by Some Old Guy

[mex 0]

Hi everyone I am a green card holder and in 2 more years i will file for citizenship, I went to hospital here in USA and can not pay the bill would it effect on my citizenship when i file for it?

or they will reject my application when i file for my citizenship because i have to give money to hospital.

Here in USA hospitals charge alot of money , i been to hospital and as i make low money i can not pay the hospital bill and hospital have sent my case to collection aggencies.

I am worried.

I just want to follow up some more info about your case.let me ask you this to make us it clear have you ever receive any letter from debt collection agency? but if your case still on hold onto them (Hospital)? What you gonna do is go to their office which is the Human Resources. Speak to them about your case so that they could do something about your case. Like I said once it went through to the debt collection.. There's nothing they could do..