can a hosptal take ya house away

raggie33

*the raggedier*
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can a hosptal take ya house away.say ya had some unpaid bills can they take ya house.?
 

nethiker

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I do not believe so raggie, but this is the type of thing that lady you have an appointment with could really help you with. You shouldn't have to worry about where you're going to live because of medical bills.

If you are being harassed by bill collectors, ask them to repeat themselves and talk slowly so you can write everything down for your legal advisor. Make sure you get their name and company they work for. Then give the notes to the person who's helping you out at home. They'll know what to do. I sure hope America is better than a country that makes it's citizens homeless because they can't afford health care.

Greg
 

GJW

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My sister just went into the hospital while visiting us from out of town.
We took her to the emergency with no wallet, no ID, no nothing.
She also has no insurance.

They treated her yes, but afterward they wanted her checking account numbers, her W2s, her car make, model and license, etc.

I can only guess that this was for collection purposes.
:sweat:
 

BIGIRON

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GJW, I hope that info the hospital requested was to qualify her for some type of assistance, meaning the hospital gets paid or gets some type of credit for treating someone without resources.
 

smokinbasser

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If you are making payments to the hospital on a regular basis they can't even contact you. The size of the payment is unimportant. I had an unplanned visit and stay at the hosp for kidney stones I wasn't insured at the time and I told the hosp to move me to a VA facility but they ignored my requests and finally demands. I checked with my lawyer and then proceeded to send the hosp $1 a month till it was payed off. Regular payments are the key issue not the amount.
 

flashfan

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I've heard of more than one case in which nursing homes will go after people's real estate to pay for extended care.

If the debt owed is lower than the value of the property though, I would hope that you would be entitled to the balance after the outstanding debt has been paid. I wouldn't think the process is quick or easy however, so unless the amount owed is really substantial, I would hope seizure of a person's home is a last resort.
 

wmpwi

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I'm no attorney, but even the IRS can't leave you homeless and they have much greater powers than any hospital I know. In some states, maybe all as I'm pretty sure it's a federal issue, when a nursing home takes someone in, the patient must assign their assets over to the nursing home to offset the cost of care, or they probably won't take them. The home cannot be transferred to avoid it as they can go back I believe 5 years to get it.

The nursing home cannot force the sale of the home because there is an underlying right of the patient to return to the home should they become competent enough to care for their own needs again. Then they will just have an outstanding bill. If the patient dies while in the nursing home, they will sell the assets to pay the accrued bill. While it seems harsh, a nursing home is actually taking a risk that someone's assets will cover the cost of their care for an extended period of time. It's not unusual for someone to be in for 5, 10, or more years.

As to a regular hospital taking someone's home in lieu of a debt, I suspect if you're making payments, however small, they'd have a hard time doing anything. They would have to file suite and suing someone out of their home for unpaid medical bills is really bad PR.

I could be wrong about some of this stuff, but I suspect a quick consult from one of the attorney types on CPF, as I know we have them, will shed a little more light on the issue.
 

bwaites

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Wow, a lot of answers to a simple question!

The simple answer is NO, not without a LOT of stuff happening first!

If you are worried about this Raggie, talk with your helper, sister, and father about what you are being told.

Undoubtedly, there is some legal assistance group in your state to help people like you.

As for some of the above advice, it is simply wrong, so be very careful who you believe.

Bill
 

raggie33

*the raggedier*
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this is just my parnoid brain no one has contacted me saing this or anything.
 

VidPro

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one of my friends dads was a "counceler" of people for thier marrages and stuff, i dont know if he was a phud or not.
he had aquired quite a few very expencive toys from people who could not afford his bill. but those were just THINGS, and if he did his job, they were people.
 

jmy808

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Mar 24, 2005
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Hawaii
You could liquidate your stuff. Afterall, it is just 'stuff" so sell em.
Computer, flashlights etc. I bet you could get a few bucks that way.
 

raggie33

*the raggedier*
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Aug 11, 2003
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it aint me i was asken genral question.if i have some unpayed bills there from years ago i dont even know if i do.but i think of stuff like this
 

BIGIRON

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Then don't worry about small stuff like this. Worry about the important things --- like not burning your biscuits.
 
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