What happens if you can't pay medical bills? (USA)

[RedDeadReflection]

What happens, as a tourist, if you can't pay your medical bills?

I know as a resident depending on the state they can bankrupt you, seize assets, get priority during probate if you die, sometimes your spouse is responsible after that too.

But what happens if you aren't American? Assuming no (or poor) health insurance.

Reading about the woman who went to Florida without health insurance and has now been in hospital for five weeks. Repatriation not yet possible, and even if it was it's £130k. The gofundme has "only" raised £38k. If she recovers well enough to leave the hospital what happens? There must be a fairly robust procedure in place or nobody would get travel insurance if they could just walk out and fly home with no consequences. In this case the woman is a pensioner with few assets so I've no idea what they could do.

You’re just showing your ignorance, use google and educate yourself!

(For the avoidance of doubt I’m not being serious…)

Years ago my friend took unwell in Spain. Even with insurance we had to club together to pay upfront for a doctor to come out to the hotel and then for an ambulance. We were glad we had emergency money.

That’s only the case in some States. But Florida is not a community property state so the situation there is much like it is in the UK where, on death, your spouse is not automatically responsible for your debt.

Um no medical care debt isn’t chased to other family members in america*

where do these notions come from?!?

*the ONLY way this would happen is if the patient died owing the debt and left an estate, that they could and would go after, no matter who it was left to. An insurance policy I suspect they couldn’t lay claim to but I’m not a lawyer.

but just to make a family tree and start shaking the branches for money? Lol no.

And yet other American posters have said on death in some states the debt passes to your spouse....

This might help explain stuff.
It's from Experian - so hopefully a reliable source

What Happens to Medical Debt When You Die? - Experian

Your medical bills don't go away when you die, but that doesn't mean your survivors have to pay them. Instead, medical debt—like all debt remaining after you die—is paid by your estate.

Estate is just a fancy way to say the total of all the assets you owned at death. When you die, the money in your estate will be used to cover your outstanding debts. If you had a will and named an executor, that person uses the money from your estate to pay your outstanding debts. If you didn't have a will, a judge will select an administrator to carry out the judge's decisions about how to distribute your estate.

Debts must be paid before your heirs receive any money from your estate. If the value of your estate is equal to or more than the amount of your debt, your estate is solvent—that is, it can afford to pay the debt.

If you have more debt than assets, your estate is considered insolvent. In this situation, things get a bit more complicated. When you have more debt than your estate can cover, the court will prioritize payments to creditors according to federal and state laws. Some creditors may get the full amount they are owed; others may get partial payments or nothing at all. Your estate may have to sell some assets, such as your home or car, to pay the debts.

(There are some exceptions - in the link)

Both are now in prison for human trafficking.

This is because they were caught on a boat somewhere with two Ethiopian folks wasn't it? Don't think I've seen an update on the baby situation.

Found it, thanks. There's a Mumsnet thread - I'd no idea there was more to the story. But it reads that both children are now in UK and wards of court, thank goodness.

https://caymanmarlroad.com/2024/09/05/man-gets-4-years-imprisonment-for-human-smuggling/

What the hell is your problem?
Lots of people have claimed not to have heard of him (myself included), no need to be so snidey about it.

I do not have a problem, in answer to your aggressive question.
Please go away

I read more than plenty.
Please explain in plain English @RedDeadReflection

And you must be a z enthusiast or someone who uses American English rather then English English

By "rather then" I assume you actually mean "rather than" because you're currently incorrect in every English.

It's not a great look making fun of someone's spelling and getting it wrong yourself. You're also welcome to leave the thread if you'd like, your contributions haven't exactly been well received and the thread is ready to be put to bed.

Oh, apologies, I did not know you were the thread police. Please do go ahead and 'put this thread to bed'.

As it happens I am a speech typing enthusiast and that were wot that there google done spat out.

Ironic when you've just told someone to go away. Must be a member of the thread police too.

Feel free to stay as long as you like, getting real "can't get drunk auntie Jean off the dance floor, she's embarrassing herself and the venue is closing" vibes.

Vibes? How very 1970s

Spoken like someone who must not be in touch with anyone under 40. It's a vibe, love 😉

Vibes is back. Big time.