beauty4ashes
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Cori, document everything, and create a file on your circumstances. Detail your finances from your wages to all of your 'cost of living' expenses, and then go thorugh and detail as much of your medical expenses as possible, and note anything that you have that is ongoing for your medical care. Write a letter that explains your circumstances, and all the expenses you've documented (photocopies of payment reciepts, bill statements, checkstubs, etc.), explain what is going on with your divorce and your ex not meeting his obligations. Explain your health and anxiety, and everywhere that you are making cutbacks just to try to make ends meet. Count upo how many individual medical bills you have, and then add up what it would cost you just to make a minimum $5-10 payment to each one... and add this in. Keep it kind, and asking for help. Make sure it keeps that air to it, and doesn't sound upset. You can compile these things together to show the medical billing departments what your circumstances, and how you are trying to keep up, but you just can't..... then ask them for theior generosity in considering a write-off. If you approach them in this way so that they can see you are not just some joe-schmoe slacker trying to get out of responsibilities, they are generally very positive towards this, and will write large portions of the medical debt off, if not 100%. I have been there a few years back with our youngest daughter's medical bills. I documented everything I could, even the price of gas and what it was costing me to drive an hour each way to her appts umpteen times per month. The fact that even if I paid $5 to each bill every month, it would cost me $235. because I had 47 separate bills at that point, and they were continuing to pile up. The fact that I was only spending $300/mo for all of our food and household supplies for a family of 5. That we were eating Top Ramen just to be able to pay the massive co-pays every month.... the list went on and on. I also included all the calls that I got on a daily basis from insenstivie collection agencies telling me I was an irresponsible loser for not paying my bills (which was illegal for them to treat me that way, btw, and you can remind them of this, and they will stop. You can also tell them they may only contact you by mail, and then by law they are no longer to contact you by phone), even though I was cutting every corner, and our utilities were constantly being threatened to be turned off, just so I could manage to pay $500-1,000./mo towards the thousands of dollars in medical bills we owed. I was able to show them that despite the fact I still owed them thousands of dollars, I had managed to pay them pretty darn close to HALF of it. I made it clear that we were doing everything we could to meet the demands and the responsibilities yet it was impossible. I sent 1" thick (literally ONE INCH THICK) packets (in those big 9x11 or whatever manilla envelopes) to every medical billing department. It took about a month to start hearing back, but every last remaining medical bill was written off 100%. A friend of mine went through a really rough spot about a year ago, and I gave her some of this same advice, and she experienced the same thing. This doesn't mean it will happen for you, but it is worth trying. Tell them your story. Show them how you're struggling, and how you're trying... ask for their help, and ask them to consider writing it off. You just never know......... As far as all the bills from the divorce, etc. I'm not sure exactly but have you talked to an attorney or someone to find out if you have any legal protection from what the court's deemed your ex's responsibility? Gosh, hun,... I wish I knew how to help better...... I'm sorry you're delaing with all of this. The last thing you need is stress & anxiety to make your health worse.  (((BIG HUGS))) Let me know if there's anything else I can do. I'm F.I.N.E. Frustrated, Irritated, Nonfunctional & Everything hurts!! Sarcasm: Embrace it!  ______________________ "Always hold your head up, but be careful to keep your nose at a friendly level" - Max L. Foreman ______________________ I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish he didn't trust me so much. - Mother Teresa ______________________ "There's always light at the end of every tunnel, just pray it's not a train! "  ______________________ Faith makes things possible, not easy!  |
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which is throwing them in the garbage so i don't get an anxiety attack from looking at them all. I went to file bankrupcy and they stated that I did not have enough debt but I can't get by if they start garnishing my wages. Any tips would be helpful.
