While it’s common sense to prepare for the unexpected, most Americans (along with nearly everyone else in the world) were very surprised to find themselves dealing with the onset of a viral pandemic. COVID-19 has continued to restrict normal life as we once knew it, but those are just inconveniences for individuals who were not directly affected by actual illness. If you or a loved one have been sick with the coronavirus (or another illness or injury), medical debt is most likely a huge concern.
Worries over medical debt are nothing new in the US, especially with ongoing issues over healthcare and health insurance. Because of the astronomical expenses associated with medical debt, that particular issue has also become the number one reason that debtors in the US have filed for bankruptcy over the past few decades.
Numbers cited in recent news show that currently 60 percent of Americans polled are dealing with medical debt. Over half also said they were facing medical debts more than $5,000, and 72 percent said that they were being stunted from reaching achievements like purchasing a house or planning a family.
“Over the past year, there have really been three factors,” said Matthew Eisenberg, an economist and professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “One is that many people lost their health insurance. Two is they lost their job — they had to take on a plan with a higher deductible if they could afford it, which exposes them to higher out-of-pocket costs. And then three is that if they lost their job, they have less disposable income, which makes any medical or emergency issue harder to weather financially.”
For many other Americans credit card debt began to skyrocket too as sudden unemployment and lack of any income at all forced them to turn to spending on plastic for basic expenses. For many, this also included prescriptions and even medical procedures. If you are worried about escalating medical debt, speak to an attorney from Fitzgerald & Campbell, APLC as soon as possible. If you are being sued, the matter becomes even more urgent.
In the case that you have received a summons and complaint, reach out for experienced legal help as soon as possible. This is especially important because you need to answer to the lawsuit generally within 20 to 30 days. Without any response or any presence in court or attention to the matter, it is likely that a default judgment will be granted against you almost immediately. While times are tough all around, you may feel like you have nothing to lose—but consider that a default judgment could be good in California for up to 20 years, leaving you open to wage garnishing, seizure of property, and even loss of control over your own checking account.
Speak with an attorney from Fitzgerald & Campbell, APLC as soon as possible to examine your options. Our attorneys have decades of experience in serving clients as they navigate through challenging financial situations, to include student loan issues, bankruptcy, and other debt management processes. We are here to help! Click here to schedule a free 30-minute consultation, call us at (844) 431-3851, or email us at info@debtorprotectors.com.