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I am worn out. I live out of state from my dad, can't bring him, he would lose what little benefits he has. Bills are piling up, he can't pay them. We are filing for bankruptcy. I can't get through the governmental bureaucracy to get any help healthwise, drugs, nothing. I just can't keep doing this alone. Now, after two hospitalizations, medical bills that he can't pay. What next?

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How old is your dad? Is he on medicare or can he qualify for medicade? Each state/county is different, but here we have a hospital based primary care clinic for those without insurance who cannot afford to pay that is on a sliding scale. There is a boat load of paperwork to get signed up, but if you follow the instructions carefully it is doable. Hospitals that accept federal dollars must provide services to the poor. In some cases they may even be able to write off a portion of a previous bill. I was led to believe that medical bills are not affected by bankruptcy so check with a lawyer before heading down that road. It has been a while since I worked at the hospital so speaking with a financial officer at the hospital may be worth a try as well.
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I might add that the quality of care at the clinic mentioned above is far superior to what the average joe can afford in the community. It is a slow process but well worth it.
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Medical bills are the last things I worry about. Everybody I know is behind on medical bills. The system is a broken mess. Try to negotiate. They will take whatever they can get. The hell with them. Let John Boehner figure it out.
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After hours this morning, I was able to finally get through to Medicare and get him supplemental policy, but this will not help the bills already. I will chop away at them. As for the credit card bills, we either declare bankruptcy or ignore them. He has no assets and no money, so you can't get blood out of a turnip. I've spoken to the med companies and they are working with us. Now, I'm working with the VA to get more help. At 87, who cares about his credit anymore?
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you are not responsible for your father's debts so don't worry about them. If he is a veteran the VA should provide medical care and provide medications. If you can get Medicaid there is a look back period when they will cover past expenses. Can your Dad pay his day to day living expenses, he should be able to qualify for such things a food stamps. If he need assisted or nursing home care he should qualify for a bed in a Veteran's Home. As some one else said in a different post take one bite out of the elephants leg and digest that bit before you tackle something bigger. Keep asking questions someone here probably has the answer
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They won't give him Medicaid. I tried. One person I talked to said they wouldn't even worry about the credit cards, he has no assets, what can they do? I'm getting him caught up with day to days, if I don't have to worry about the CC debt, then I should be able to get him back on track. The DAV is working with me now to get him veteran's pension. We are debating VA medical care because he lives too far from a hospital to care for him and he likes his new doctor. Now that I finally got a supplemental coverage, we may be ok. I'm taking it a day at a time.
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