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0 pointsjack_tripper4mo ago0 comments

>I've just ignored any medical bill

As a not-American, I wonder what are the rules of this "game". Can anyone in the US just ignore their bills and debt and it's all ignored anyway?

Because in most European countries, debt is a very serious thing. Even small debt like an unpaid 50 Euro bill can be sold to debt collectors who can seize your property or garnish your wage, pension or bank accounts to pay your debt plus the collection fee, so people here are incredibly weary of unpaid bills or taking debt for unnecessary things other than houses or cars.

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giancarlostoro4mo ago

Homeless people do. Personally I rather pay something, but I'm not spending tens of thousands if that's not what everyone else is paying uniform. This is why there's no transparency on hospital prices, because nobody is ever billed the same, ever. Someone's bill is offsetting the losses from someone else.

cm20124mo ago

Basically the only thing debt collectors can do in the US (if the amount is too small to justify a lawsuit) is harass you with phone calls. I have DND except for contacts on anyway so I dont notice it.

Edit: also credit score of course. Almost anything does affect your score. Except for medical stuff for me for some reason - I have a good credit score.

jack_tripperOP4mo ago

Damn, well in that case that explains why a lot of people in the US can be in debt yet so care free, which is unthinkable to us here in Europe as even small debts carry consequences.

alistairSH4mo ago

That was an overly simplistic response. We do have credit scores in the US, and defaulting on medical bills can (but doesn't always) impact someone's score.

Without a high score, you don't get the best interest rates on loans. Or, might not be eligible for a security clearance (government work) or jobs in some industries (banking and other "high trust" fields). Or might not be able to rent an apartment.

But, the other response wasn't incorrect. We don't have debtors prisons (unless the debt is owed to the government, then they might be able to jail you).

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jacquesm4mo ago

It would be quite hard to run up a million euros in debt to a hospital in Europe, but in the USA that is not at all unheard of.

jack_tripperOP4mo ago

You're missing the point completely. I was not talking about why hospital debt is big, but the difference in how debt in general of all sizes gets collected.

Because in most of Europe even a 50 Euro debt will be collected, medical or not. while in the US it seems you can live just fine with a lot of debt that somehow nobody bothers to collect.

And your hospital in Europe DOES collect the half million Euro bill, for say a heart transplant, from your insurance company. You just never see the massive bill because it goes directly to your insurer but someone always pays.

jacquesm4mo ago

I've paid out of pocket for a medical procedure in Europe and the price was a very small fraction of what it would have been in the US.

The 50 buck debt in europe will be collected because it is an actual debt, not something some hospital made up. See TFA.

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giancarlostoro4mo ago

cm20124mo ago

Edit: also credit score of course. Almost anything does affect your score. Except for medical stuff for me for some reason - I have a good credit score.

jack_tripperOP4mo ago

Damn, well in that case that explains why a lot of people in the US can be in debt yet so care free, which is unthinkable to us here in Europe as even small debts carry consequences.

alistairSH4mo ago

That was an overly simplistic response. We do have credit scores in the US, and defaulting on medical bills can (but doesn't always) impact someone's score.

But, the other response wasn't incorrect. We don't have debtors prisons (unless the debt is owed to the government, then they might be able to jail you).

1 more reply

jacquesm4mo ago

It would be quite hard to run up a million euros in debt to a hospital in Europe, but in the USA that is not at all unheard of.

jack_tripperOP4mo ago

You're missing the point completely. I was not talking about why hospital debt is big, but the difference in how debt in general of all sizes gets collected.

Because in most of Europe even a 50 Euro debt will be collected, medical or not. while in the US it seems you can live just fine with a lot of debt that somehow nobody bothers to collect.

jacquesm4mo ago

I've paid out of pocket for a medical procedure in Europe and the price was a very small fraction of what it would have been in the US.

The 50 buck debt in europe will be collected because it is an actual debt, not something some hospital made up. See TFA.

1 more reply

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