by Infinity M.
Member since:
May 21, 2007

Beware: Not paying your bills could land you in jail

April 23, 2012 11:46 PM UTC
views: 0 | 7 people recommend this | comments: 53

A lady in Herrin, Illinois, found herself booked into jail upon not taking care of a $280 medical bill.  This was also a bill that she had been told was sent in error, and she did not have to worry about it (?).  Illinois is not the only state that will allow this to happen; other states include: Georgia, Louisiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Washington.

To read more click here

Comments: 53

connie h. Apr 23, 2012, 11:57pm UTC
wow
Infinity M. Apr 24, 2012, 12:00am UTC
thtz wht i said :/
michele r. Apr 24, 2012, 12:08am UTC
Very scary!
Infinity M. Apr 24, 2012, 12:13am UTC
ikr - so many peopl owe $ right now - this cld bcome an epidemic
michele r. Apr 24, 2012, 10:59am UTC
So with all of the genuine complaints of over-crowded jails due to thieves, murderers, rapists, etc... states are now going to throw ordinary people who owe money in with them. I did see in the article that Illinois is trying to change the laws and it is before the Senate at the moment. But geeze it is beyond silly.
Infinity M. Apr 24, 2012, 11:42am UTC
& it sounds like 'debtors prison' is a separate facility?
Cynthia C. Apr 24, 2012, 12:17am UTC
Thank you so much for sharing with Sadies Points
Infinity M. Apr 24, 2012, 12:26am UTC
np - i haven't had much spare time l8ly - but i came across this articl & had 2 post it
Heather - child of God, C. Apr 24, 2012, 12:58am UTC
I had no idea.

Too bad one couldn't put the people who won't give you your money back in jail...too... I won't shop in places that won't give a refund.

Down here in Florida we had some car dealers that took trade ins and didn't pay off the car loans as they were supposed to. So some people were stuck with two car loans... the new car... and the old car they traded in. It was a mess.

One has to be so careful.
Infinity M. Apr 24, 2012, 11:43am UTC
i heard about the problems with people being stuck with 2 car loans - I guess that can happen with houses also
B.Lynn M Apr 29, 2012, 8:24pm UTC
And Florida also has crappy lemon laws too on used cars.
Denise L. Apr 24, 2012, 1:46am UTC
I remember that story. My son filmed it for the tv reporter he was working with that day. I don't know the woman, but she lives in a nearby town.

The medical bill she had was from the same business that I am struggling to pay after my major surgery last year. The collection agency that they hire is relentless about getting their money! They called me about every day for several months, even though I told them how little income I had and that I was unable to work. Now they call about once a week. I send them and three other medical businesses $10 a month because that's all I can do right now. Sometimes it makes me wish I lived in Canada or France because they don't have these kinds of problems with their medical system.
Infinity M. Apr 24, 2012, 11:46am UTC
Yes - I know a lady who was on medicare, and then she got a job and let them know how much $ she was making, and then she lost her medicare immediately, & received a bill for $45,000 for medical expenses that she is slowly paying off.
Margaret Garside Apr 24, 2012, 4:35pm UTC
C'mon! Don't you know that Socialized medicine is EVIL? Everyone's covered, no one is ruined by huge bills. We must stop this from ever happening in our great country!
Infinity M. Apr 24, 2012, 4:39pm UTC
to be slapped with $45,000 can really derail you - especially considering her income is not huge - and she is raising her grandchildren since the mother is unable
Denise L. Apr 24, 2012, 9:57pm UTC
When I talk to friends in Canada and France, they are appalled at what we have to go through here because when they need care, they get it....without the devastating medical bills.
Infinity M. Apr 25, 2012, 10:07pm UTC
it wld b nice 2 hav a diffrent healthcare system
Debra C. Apr 26, 2012, 3:45pm UTC
You must mean Medicaid. Medicare is for 65+ people (plus ESRD, dependent children qualifying for SSI, and a few other things). Coverage is based on date of occurance rather than changes, so this lady needs to talk to the right person at social services. They cannot retro-actively cancel Medicaid coverage because someone gets a job in most states (they could if she had the promise of the job on the date she needed the coverage but hadn't started the job yet and had not disclosed that it would be starting).
Infinity M. Apr 26, 2012, 10:30pm UTC
It seems like they change things whenever they need to make cuts - like the cuts they made to dental coverage. I always hear of people that have nowhere to go for needed dental work.
Diane Huizenga Apr 24, 2012, 10:15am UTC
that is total bs.
Infinity M. Apr 24, 2012, 11:47am UTC
& a little nerve-wracking
Margaret Garside Apr 24, 2012, 4:33pm UTC
These days, no ones's safe. I too have had bills I've paid sent to collection agencies. I had to threaten legal action just to get them to contact their client and verify that the bill was in fact paid. A couple of times, the bill got bounced to a new agency and the whole mess started again.
Infinity M. Apr 24, 2012, 4:41pm UTC
it seems they make a lot of $ off of tht - & the original debt is usually written off
Margaret Garside Apr 25, 2012, 3:49pm UTC
I don't see how the agenices who buy the debts make any money. If the debt's been paid, they're SOL. Not to mention, such 'second-parties' can't sue to collect.
Infinity M. Apr 25, 2012, 10:10pm UTC
they make all kinds of threats against peopl including vulgar phone calls/calling and hanging up repeatedly (all the while disguising their phone # to make it seem like the harasser is local), and tell their victims that they will lose their house (or something else of value) if they dont pay up. They eventually find peopl that are so scared they pay the collectors.
Margaret Garside Apr 26, 2012, 4:17pm UTC
They also count on people not knowing the law. All of those actions are illegal.
Infinity M. Apr 26, 2012, 8:48pm UTC
theres currently a scam going on where identity thieves are targeting elderly people, claiming to be a relative & that they are stranded somewhere, or got arrested & need $
Margaret Garside Apr 27, 2012, 4:32pm UTC
That's been going on for years.

Technically that's not identity theft, since no stolen documents are involved.
Infinity M. Jun 10, 2012, 4:09pm UTC
i guess i meant it's a form of identity theft
Plusize Popstar The Original Apr 24, 2012, 6:47pm UTC
gotta put those dangerous bill evadors in jail,

but let cold blooded murders like Zimmerman go free.
Denise L. Apr 24, 2012, 9:55pm UTC
I don't see how you can say that. It was a bad situation, but not cold blooded.

Now the two that attacked and stabbed my son while trying to rob him and left him to die on the sidewalk....now that's cold blooded.
B.Lynn M Apr 25, 2012, 12:31am UTC
What next a ball and chain?
Infinity M. Apr 25, 2012, 10:12pm UTC
or house arrest and an ankle bracelet
B.Lynn M Apr 29, 2012, 8:25pm UTC
This is truly absurd! It is for some a punishment for being poor.
Kathryn W. Apr 25, 2012, 12:35am UTC
that's weird since medical bills don't even effect your credit. i learned that when going for a home and i was having to pay off my ex's old bills to make his score go up. now that i'm in the medical billing field they even tell us that we are a no pressure company. we are going to be as nice and polite as we can be, because that's the only way we can get our money. we can't really attack their credit and most ppl know this.
Infinity M. Apr 25, 2012, 10:13pm UTC
it seems to depend on the state you live in - there are states where this would not happen
Beth J. Apr 25, 2012, 10:59am UTC
Thanks for sharing on Helping Out One Another
Infinity M. Apr 25, 2012, 10:13pm UTC
np - hopefully i will b sharing more
Beth J. Apr 25, 2012, 11:58am UTC
Thanks for sharing your post on Getting to 3000 Together
Infinity M. Apr 26, 2012, 12:06pm UTC
ur welcome - peopl need 2 kno wht cld hapn 2 them
Truth Always Apr 25, 2012, 10:18pm UTC
I dont know but in this state, they go after medical bills, they put judgements on you, they garnish wages, they call you , add interest to the bill and have even been known to repo .
Infinity M. Apr 26, 2012, 12:05pm UTC
yup - medical is big business
Debra C. Apr 26, 2012, 3:46pm UTC
This is a good example of why EVERY suggestion that a bill is not owed NEEDS TO BE IN WRITING. NEVER accept an assurance over the phone.
Margaret Garside Apr 26, 2012, 4:18pm UTC
Good advice.
Infinity M. Apr 26, 2012, 6:38pm UTC
tht is a grt point - i think at this point i wld go to the office where the bill originated from in person to obtain written assurance (as long as it was local)
Adelaide M. May 2, 2012, 7:32pm UTC
Thanks for posting to Point Taken. Have a great night!
Marsha C. May 5, 2012, 12:06pm UTC
now that is just stupid!
I'd be in trouble...not currently, but for years of not paying medical bills in my first marriage.
Sandra T. May 25, 2012, 9:36pm UTC
I read about that. I'd trade her gladly for my medical bills. They are way more than that
Debbie W. Feb 2, 2013, 9:57pm UTC
Glad i don't live in any of those places.
Elizabeth S. Apr 8, 2013, 9:38pm UTC
My first thought was how awful. Then I recalled sitting in municipal court and seeing person after person who was arrested for not showing up in court on a ticket or not paying the exorbitant fines. The judge routinely accessed them another $300+ and court costs. If they wanted to pay it out, the city charged another $25 a month for the privilege. Community service wasn't an option.
manda r Apr 9, 2013, 7:53pm UTC
There are a few bills I have been paying min amount on. there were some I didn't even know I had. That's just crazy going to jail because your sick and can't afford it when your sick. I was bron and raised in Toronto Canada and there is a ton of things ohip wont cover but some of the bills I've gotten living in Michigan are just nuts. 150 just to see a er dr who I've had to wait just as long to see here in Michigan as I did to see in Toronto. I mean really if I'm paying shouldn't I get service that is way better then something that's free ?
manda r Apr 9, 2013, 7:56pm UTC
that er dr wont remember me or my symptoms but he will be glad to get that money when I pay it off. I waited two hours in Michigan just to be treated for a sprang mussel and a fever that wouldn't go away. let's not count the cost of having my child born in the usa. that bill was nuts who knew a mid wife would cost so much per appointment and delivery. good thing there are some places that offer assistance in the hospital financial department but most people would just pay it even if they can't afford to stay out of trouble.

Renita P. Apr 9, 2013, 9:55pm UTC
Congrats on being Helping Out One Another's Person of the Day for 04/08/2013.

Join the Conversation
Chime in! Become a Gather member to comment.
Already a member? Sign in
top
 
Gather | Friends | Groups | Share
About Gather | Engagement Marketing | Gather Points | Advertise on Gather | Gather Press | Privacy | Terms of Service | Community Guidelines
Books | Business | Celebs | Entertainment | Family | Food | Giveaways | Health | Money | Moms | News | Politics | Sports | Style | Technology | Travel | Writing
Version 18247, "Zach"; Copyright © 2013 Gather Inc. All rights reserved.