reporter: debt collectors call day and night. a new jamma study finds medical bills are the largest source of american debt with a record $140 billion in collections last year, nearly twice the previous estimate. it s all about the medical bills. yes, it s a uniquely american phenomenon. reporter: stanford professor neil mahoney, the lead author, says bills are often higher for people living in a dozen of states including wisconsin that chose not to expand eligibility for medicaid under the affordable care act. the fact that the healthcare system which is supposed to heal people is creating half of debt and collections in the united states is something that i think is quite distressing. reporter: experts say state and federal legislation is needed to fix the debt crisis. for now, gummow is on a payment plan, but says she s still forced to choose between prescriptions and groceries. i feel like i will be in debt for the rest of my life. reporter: medical debt, a
cost of getting sick in america. i felt like a criminal, like i was doing something wrong. reporter: when a man showed up at alysa gummow s front door in kenosha, wisconsin, last october with a court summons, the 48-year-old single mom felt crushed. did you ever think you would be in the financial situation you are in because of medical bills? never. it makes me feel like a failure. reporter: they re suing you? yes. reporter: for the second time, she s being sued for unpaid medical bills her insurance didn t cover. back in 2017, a $50,000 bill for hip surgery forced her into bankruptcy despite having a full-time job. you know, middle class americans, we get the short end of the stick. it s not fair. reporter: this time, gummow has a job that pays more, but not enough to pay new bills not covered by her high deductible insurance plan. this is lisa, i m a debt collector this is
Wisconsin Hospital Files 200 Debt Lawsuits During Pandemic By Bram Sable-Smith | December 28, 2020
MADISON, Wis. (AP) –Alysa Gummow didn’t know what to think in October when the letters from law firms arrived in the mail. She had filed for bankruptcy in 2017 to restructure nearly $50,000 in debt mostly from an earlier hip surgery. But that was resolved. Why was she getting these letters now?
The 37-year-old learned that Froedtert South hospital in Kenosha, Wisconsin was suing her to recover about $1,000 in separate bills that her health insurance didn’t cover.
A maskless man visited her home a few days later to make the lawsuit official, delivering the message: “You’ve been served.”
Wisconsin hospital files 200 debt lawsuits during pandemic antigojournal.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from antigojournal.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Many hospitals in state promised to slow down debt collection during pandemic. They haven’t. //end headline wrapper ?>Get a daily rundown of the top stories on Urban Milwaukee
About 366,000 nonelderly people in Wisconsin lack health insurance coverage, according to an Urban Institute analysis. Still others are underinsured, which can still leave them overwhelmed by large medical bills that they are unable to pay. Claire DeRosa / Wisconsin Watch
Alysa Gummow didn’t know what to think in October when the letters from bankruptcy law firms arrived in the mail. She had filed for bankruptcy in 2017 to restructure nearly $50,000 in debt mostly stemming from a hip surgery two years earlier. But that was resolved. Why was she getting these letters now?