If you are the victim of a violent crime and don't have health insurance, who pays for treatment?

[pete6032]

If you live in the U.S. and say you're unemployed and have no money and no education, and you are a bystander in a drive-by shooting, and you are hit, who would be responsible for your emergency/hospital bills? I'm assuming the perpetrator if he/she was caught. What happens if the perpetrator is never caught? Does the victim have to pay these costs? What happens if the victims needs several hundred thousand dollars of surgery to save his life and clearly will never be able to pay this amount back?

 

[Ns1]

Taxes and hospital eats the bill since it's an ER visit. Victim is probably fucked for post-care.

GoFundMe is the nations leading insurer for the uninsured.

 

[GobBluth]

A lot of hospitals will write off uninsured patients as charity care. This information gets submitted to the federal government and the hospital or medical entity can be reimbursed a percentage of the cost based on the volume of charity care for that fiscal year. This is especially true for not-for-profit medical facilities as charity care is a key ingrediant to getting their NFP rating and being tax exempt.

There is a whole system at play here and it really all started with Medicaid blew up. Any hospital you go to has a payer mix of about 70% Medicare/Medicaid vs. private pay or commercial insurance. Because the government medical policies pay something like $.18 on the dollar (Medicaid) and $.40 on the dollar (Medicare), it makes sense to write off the bad debt as charity care and submit it that way.

p.s. I slept at a holiday inn express last night.

 

[BudAshes]

If you live in the U.S. and say you're unemployed and have no money and no education, and you are a bystander in a drive-by shooting, and you are hit, who would be responsible for your emergency/hospital bills? I'm assuming the perpetrator if he/she was caught. What happens if the perpetrator is never caught? Does the victim have to pay these costs? What happens if the victims needs several hundred thousand dollars of surgery to save his life and clearly will never be able to pay this amount back?

I had a neighbor whose son was hit by a drunk driver. He racked up a couple million dollars in hospital bills and will need care for many years if not permanently. He didn't have health insurance and the insurance of the guy who hit him only covered 200k so he was not only crippled physically but financially because of this drunk.

 

[whm1974]

I had a neighbor who's son was hit by a drunk driver. He racked up a couple million dollars in hospital bills and will need care for many years if not permanently. He didn't have health insurance and the insurance of the guy who hit him only covered 200k so he was not only crippled physically but financially because of this drunk.

And some folks wonder why I make a big deal about drinking and driving.

 

[Thebobo]

The church and the NRA

 

[pete6032]

So what happens if a gang member who has no health insurance gets shot and is critically-wounded, and they never find the aggressor? They generally wouldn't have to pay for their medical costs?

 

[Ns1]

So what happens if a gang member who has no health insurance gets shot and is critically-wounded, and they never find the aggressor? They generally wouldn't have to pay for their medical costs?

he goes to the ER he will get treatment. He needs physical therapy? I'm sure they have YouTube videos on that.

 

[JEDI]

There is a whole system at play here and it really all started with Medicaid blew up.
Any hospital you go to has a payer mix of about 70% Medicare/Medicaid vs. private pay or commercial insurance.
Because the government medical policies pay something like $.18 on the dollar (Medicaid) and $.40 on the dollar (Medicare), it makes sense to write off the bad debt as charity care and submit it that way.

I can understand writing off Medicaid as charity.
but the hospital will also write off medicare??
and I thought medicare pays about the same as private/commercial insurance?

in fact, I thought private/commercial reimbursement rates were based on what Medicare reimburses??

 

[Red Squirrel]

In the States? Gofundme donors, basically.

If you're in a 1st world country that has a health care system such as Canada, then the tax dollars will pay for it.

 

[Darwin333]

The hospital charges other patients more to cover it.

 

[zerocool84]

In 2008 during the big recession I lost my job, I had to go to the the hospital for something, had no insurance, wrote down fake information, got what I needed done. Luckily it was something that didn't need extended treatment or else I would have been screwed financially.

It's sad that in 2018 someone can still be financially ruined because of medical costs.

 

[Ken g6]

You pay, but you can file a civil suit against the criminal. Then they pay you and the lawyer if they have any money.

 

[Jon-T]

Most States in the US have a victim compensation program to cover violent crimes.

Just check three states around me.

Ohio https://www.ohiobar.org/forpublic/resources/lawyoucanuse/pages/lawyoucanuse-598.aspx

Pennsylvania http://pcv.pccd.pa.gov/available-services/Pages/Victims-Compensation.aspx

New York https://ovs.ny.gov/victim-compensation

 

[brianmanahan]

In 2008 during the big recession I lost my job, I had to go to the the hospital for something, had no insurance

couldn't you just buy cobra?

 

[brianmanahan]

this is why it is important to get a job with short and long term disability insurance. a lot of people in the US pay far too little attention to the benefits offered when choosing a job.

 

[whm1974]

couldn't you just buy cobra?

I guess you never lost a job before? The last time I had to deal with Cobra it was $800 a month.

 

[brianmanahan]

I guess you never lost a job before? The last time I had to deal with Cobra it was $800 a month.

i havent, but i keep a year or two worth of expenses in cash in case i do so i could pay for something like that if i needed to.

 

[MrSquished]

It's sad that in 2018 someone can still be financially ruined because of medical costs.

This. And it's primarily those who espouse 'Christian values' that demonize any attempt to provide healthcare/insurance for all, because that's the Christian thing to do. God I hate religious righties, they are the worst.

 

[brianmanahan]

This. And it's primarily those who espouse 'Christian values' that demonize any attempt to provide healthcare/insurance for all, because that's the Christian thing to do. God I hate religious righties, they are the worst.

well only widows and orphans are generally covered in biblical health insurance. men without jobs have to get a job or otherwise be labeled a sluggard, and proverbs talks about how sluggards will starve.

 

[whm1974]

well only widows and orphans are generally covered in biblical health insurance. men without jobs have to get a job or otherwise be labeled a sluggard, and proverbs talks about how sluggards will starve.

And what if there are no jobs available?

 

[whm1974]

i havent, but i keep a year or two worth of expenses in cash in case i do so i could pay for something like that if i needed to.

Good for you, but not many people can managed to save a year or two of expenses before becoming unemployed.

 

[brianmanahan]

And what if there are no jobs available?

idk, they probably had to go to a different area or country to find work, or join the army or something.

 

[whm1974]

idk, they probably had to go to a different area or country to find work, or join the army or something.

Or become slaves...

 

[Darwin333]

You pay, but you can file a civil suit against the criminal. Then they pay you and the lawyer if they have any money.

I guess if you are "lucky" enough to be the victim of a violent crime by a .1%er.