Medical Bill Assistance

 

Medical Bankruptcy


Out of control medical bills are one of the greatest causes of bankruptcy. Many families cannot recover from the sudden and high cost of major medical procedures. While these families may have other debts to include, they are essentially declaring a medical bankruptcy.

To make matters worse, many medical conditions can cause an interruption in income. For substantial medical debt, you might need to take immediate action to avoid further damage to your finances.

You can try to negotiate a lower payoff for some of the bills. Even a settlement may save on medical debt that is turned over to debt collectors.

If you are having trouble affording medical bills and high credit card bills, then you might consider credit counseling. Otherwise, you may need to speak with an attorney about bankruptcy.

Bankruptcy is not a magic bullet. You can still end up paying a substantial amount of your bills if you file Chapter 13. Even Chapter 7 has substantial fees related to the filing.

While hiring an attorney is not required to file for bankruptcy, you should consider getting legal advice. If you qualify for legal aid, then you may speak with one of their legal advisors for free. Either way,  you may still need to hire an attorney to help make sure that you properly file for bankruptcy.

If you do choose to hire an attorney, then you should look for a lawyer experienced in personal bankruptcy filings. They can review your case to determine first of all if you need to file bankruptcy. If they believe it is necessary, then they can discuss the different types of bankruptcy that might be available to you.

Your state's bar association just might be the best place to search for an experienced bankruptcy attorney. By using their lawyer referral service, you can make sure the attorney you select is licensed and in good standing in your state.

Many attorneys that are listed with the lawyer referral service provide a free consultation of approximately 20-30 minutes. This can be of great value when money is tight. To make sure you can cover all of your issues with the attorney in that timeframe, make sure that you have all of your debts listed and totalled so that they can see exactly the makeup of your debt. You may also wish to draw up a budget so that they can see what money you have to work with each month.

Feel free to check with more than one attorney. That way, you can choose the one that you are most comfortable with. Some attorneys are willing to spread their fees over the term of a Chapter 13 plan. This can be helpful for those who are earning some income but do not have enough money to pay upfront.