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[Mudkips]

He lives with his mom because he got kicked out of his place after the cops and ambulance being called there, and him losing his job (that was barely above minimum wage). When did you read the thread?

Incorrect. Re-read the thread and then get back to me.

Again, he is covered. He simply has to pay the deductible.
Even if he didn't have the deductible on hand, it would take all of 2 phone calls to negotiate a payment plan and avoid having the bill be sent to collections.

An actual attempt to pay his bills would have been selling a brand new Wii U and games, calling the insurance company and asking for help understanding his bills and how to pay, calling the hospital to negotiate a payment plan, not letting the bill sit with no action for a month, etc.

OP said that his parents are helping him with payments until he can get income to pay off the debt. Seems a lot of people didn't read that.

People did read it. But there's a massive gap between "living at home and having my parents pay the bill" and "got a job so I can repay my parents and get back on my feet soon".

His situation sucks. But the way he handled it was irresponsible. In life, problems don't tend to magically go away. They need to be addressed.

 

[daw840]

FTFY.

These two things can be true at the same time you know....

 

[ronito]

Hey gaf,
Just make it bad.
Take a bad situation
and make it worser.

 

[Husker86]

The thing i don't understand is how on earth can you have insurance over something so vital and basic as one's health? Cars? yeah. Travel? yeah. Home? yeah.

But health? This is the root of the problem. When it comes to a person's mental or physical wellbeing, you shouldn't be under the mercy of a paying system. It should be a basic right to be treated with no strings attached.

Then you are all for food being free to everyone?

I understand (and agree with) some of the arguments for NHS, however this particular argument can be applied to so many other vital things that would make an economy collapse.

 

[FyreWulff]

Then you are all for food being free to everyone?

A base level of food? Yep.

 

[RSTEIN]

I understand why some people don't believe in gay marriage.
I understand why some people join the NRA and fight for the right to bear arms.
I understand why some people are against abortions.
I understand why some people believe in UFOs.


I will never, ever comprehend why the fuck Americans don't fight for universal health care. It's just baffling.

 

[Baraka in the White House]

I understand why some people don't believe in gay marriage.
I understand why some people join the NRA and fight for the right to bear arms.
I understand why some people are against abortions.
I understand why some people believe in UFOs.


I will never, ever comprehend why the fuck Americans don't fight for universal health care. It's just baffling.

Hey, that's not the point here. The point is that KevinCow owns a Wii U! A Wii U!?

 

[Ciastek3214]

Didn't op say he was living at home again?...

Yeah, and he's unemployed, don't see how he would be saving up now.

 

[Timedog]

I understand why some people don't believe in gay marriage.
I understand why some people join the NRA and fight for the right to bear arms.
I understand why some people are against abortions.
I understand why some people believe in UFOs.


I will never, ever comprehend why the fuck Americans don't fight for universal health care. It's just baffling.

Because a large percentage of the population thinks taxes are going to skyrocket because of it, with no net monetary benefit, and all at the cost of worse service. Oh, and that almost every other first world country is socialist and therefore evil. AKA they're fucking idiots, or misguided at best.

These two things can be true at the same time you know....

Wonder which one is more likely to cause the other...

 

[Marty Chinn]

Even more annoying than reading posts of people who are financially irresponsible is reading the posts of people who have never made less than $40,000.00 a year telling people how easy it is to 'save up'.

So you think it was financially responsible for him to buy a Wii U and few games at launch when he didn't have a job? You think it was financially responsible to not put any money aside and to spend it all on entertainment?

Hey, that's not the point here. The point is that KevinCow owns a Wii U! A Wii U!?

A Wii U alone is a $300 to $350 investment and he has games on top of that that add to the value. All this while being unemployed. Just because issue A is a shitty situation doesn't mean there isn't an issue B which is independent of A. Him having gone through this will hopefully teach him that when he gets his next job, maybe he should set aside some cash before he spends it on things he doesn't need. The mistake is already done, but hopefully he can learn from that mistake.

 

[dave is ok]

So you think it was financially responsible for him to buy a Wii U and few games at launch when he didn't have a job? You think it was financially responsible to not put any money aside and to spend it all on entertainment?

No. Which is why I called him financially irresponsible.

Yet, sociopaths with no empathy or people with no experience living paycheck to paycheck coming here to judge him are much worse.

 

[User 100115]

So you think it was financially responsible for him to buy a Wii U and few games at launch when he didn't have a job? You think it was financially responsible to not put any money aside and to spend it all on entertainment?

I think, considering how he'd just survived a pretty scary suicide attempt and was trying to claw his way from the bottom by finding some enjoyment in life, it's not our place to judge him.

 

[Marty Chinn]

No. Which is why I called him financially irresponsible.

Yet, sociopaths with no empathy or people with no experience living paycheck to paycheck coming here to judge him are much worse.

Ok, sorry for suggesting otherwise. I'm definitely sympathetic towards his situation. Don't make a mistake about that. I'm just suggesting that I hope he learned something from this experience. What happened to him wasn't the end of the world and he'll be able to move on from it, but he can learn something from it and that's all I'm saying. He doesn't seem to want to learn from the experience though based on his posts of him lashing out.

 

[Duane Cunningham]

Ok, sorry for suggesting otherwise. I'm definitely sympathetic towards his situation. Don't make a mistake about that. I'm just suggesting that I hope he learned something from this experience. What happened to him wasn't the end of the world and he'll be able to move on from it, but he can learn something from it and that's all I'm saying. He doesn't seem to want to learn from the experience though based on his posts of him lashing out.

His lashing out is, to me, not indicative of anything other than him getting pissed at being called immature and irresponsible. It kind of pisses me off just reading it, I think if it was actually directed at me I'd get just as grumpy as he did. He's the victim of a shitty system and when he complains about it, a bunch of know nothing know it alls start preaching fiscal responsibility at him. When he gets mad about that, your response is "huh, guess he still hasn't learned".

 

[evil solrac v3.0]

Do you even realize or understand how immature you're being right now? Do you not understand that there's something to be learned from this experience that can help you in the future?

you people are jackasses. here is Kevin stressed and depressed and all you can do is tell him "tough shit, should have had money saved." you're all horrible and I hope you never have to deal with mental health issues. you're all disgusting.

 

[Clay Davis]

Ok, sorry for suggesting otherwise. I'm definitely sympathetic towards his situation. Don't make a mistake about that. I'm just suggesting that I hope he learned something from this experience. What happened to him wasn't the end of the world and he'll be able to move on from it, but he can learn something from it and that's all I'm saying. He doesn't seem to want to learn from the experience though based on his posts of him lashing out.

based on your posts, I find this incredibly hard to believe. your entire attitude is as evil solrac v3.0 says above a 'tough shit' attitude and one that's entirely lacking in any compassion for what he has gone through.

you really should take a long hard look in the mirror, think about how you became a person who lacks the most basic compassion for someone who has gone through something unimaginable for the majority of us. it really is disgusting the way you and others have gone about judging and chastising Kevin.

 

[JB1981]

you people are jackasses. here is Kevin stressed and depressed and all you can do is tell him "tough shit, should have had money saved." you're all horrible and I hope you never have to deal with mental health issues. you're all disgusting.

Overreaction total.

 

[Marty Chinn]

you people are jackasses. here is Kevin stressed and depressed and all you can do is tell him "tough shit, should have had money saved." you're all horrible and I hope you never have to deal with mental health issues. you're all disgusting.

That's not what I'm saying at all. I'm saying take the shitty situation and at least learn something from it to help yourself in the future. Turn the negative into a positive. He's lucky he discovered this early and has a support system to help him recover. He had three options at this point.

1) Curl up and complain about it and do nothing else
2) Learn how he could help soften or eliminate the blow when something sudden happens in the future
3) Actively do something about it to change the system for the better.

Regardless of how shitty the system is, we still live with the system and our options are limited. Bitching about it and doing nothing to change isn't going to get him anywhere. What if something else happened in the future where his car breaks down. Is he going to whine and complain that the manufacturer didn't make a better car? That the system only allowed him to afford such a car? There's going to be instances where shit happens and you have to try your best to prepare yourself for them. In this case it was the medical insurance system, but what about the next time? Do you think he was being fiscally responsible? Do you think he should be in the future? These are separate issues from the fact that we have a medical system that sucks.

based on your posts, I find this incredibly hard to believe. your entire attitude is as evil solrac v3.0 says above a 'tough shit' attitude and one that's entirely lacking in any compassion for what he has gone through.

you really should take a long hard look in the mirror, think about how you became a person who lacks the most basic compassion for someone who has gone through something unimaginable for the majority of us. it really is disgusting the way you and others have gone about judging and chastising Kevin.

The first thing I did was say the situation was shitty and I continue to say that. Do you really think he was being financially responsible?

All I'm saying here is that despite what happened and what he's stuck with, it should at least be a wake up call that he wasn't being responsible with his finances and that he should be lucky he learned it now instead of later on when it could be worse.

 

[evil solrac v3.0]

Overreaction total.

no it really isn't.

 

[xxracerxx]

you people are jackasses. here is Kevin stressed and depressed and all you can do is tell him "tough shit, should have had money saved." you're all horrible and I hope you never have to deal with mental health issues. you're all disgusting.

Not a single person here, I believe, is telling him "tough shit." The system sucks and what he has gone through sucks, but it is what it is as of right now (which will probably not change for a long time looking at the current GOP) and I hope he gets through it without financial ruin (which we already know he will since his parents are helping him out).

 

[evil solrac v3.0]

That's not what I'm saying at all. I'm saying take the shitty situation and at least learn something from it to help yourself in the future. Turn the negative into a positive. He's lucky he discovered this early and has a support system to help him recover. He had three options at this point.

1) Curl up and complain about it and do nothing else
2) Learn how he could help soften or eliminate the blow when something sudden happens in the future
3) Actively do something about it to change the system for the better.

Regardless of how shitty the system is, we still live with the system and our options are limited. Bitching about it and doing nothing to change isn't going to get him anywhere. What if something else happened in the future where his car breaks down. Is he going to whine and complain that the manufacturer didn't make a better car? That the system only allowed him to afford such a car? There's going to be instances where shit happens and you have to try your best to prepare yourself for them. In this case it was the medical insurance system, but what about the next time? Do you think he was being fiscally responsible? Do you think he should be in the future? These are separate issues from the fact that we have a medical system that sucks.



The first thing I did was say the situation was shitty and I continue to say that. Do you really think he was being financially responsible?

All I'm saying here is that despite what happened and what he's stuck with, it should at least be a wake up call that he wasn't being responsible with his finances and that he should be lucky he learned it now instead of later on when it could be worse.

yes we should all prepare for evetualities. in our current system, a minimum wage worker is not able to. maybe him harming himself is what would bring about that change because god knows that no amount of protests will help that. not in this country.

ironically he has the right idea: save money for something you want (in his case) now isntead of coming down on him like a ton of bricks, lets redirect his energy and instead of telling him "you're a minimum wage worker, you shouldn't buy things" let's say "Kevin, you can have money for entertainment, but save a little bit for a nest egg.

or "wait until Wii U flops (LOL) and get it discounted. but never tell someone "YOU CAN'T HAVE THIS YOU DIRTY POOR" he is dealing with a disease and as long as he has it more or less under control why shouldn't he have an outlet? answer me that Mr. Chinn. tell me why teh poor can't have an outlet? all animals need play after all.

 

[daw840]

Lol. You're ridiculous. No one here said anything about any of what you just posted.

 

[xxracerxx]

yes we should all prepare for evetualities. in our current system, a minimum wage worker is not able to. maybe him harming himself is what would bring about that change because god knows that no amount of protests will help that. not in this country.

ironically he has the right idea: save money for something you want (in his case) now isntead of coming down on him like a ton of bricks, lets redirect his energy and instead of telling him "you're a minimum wage worker, you shouldn't buy things" let's say "Kevin, you can have money for entertainment, but save a little bit for a nest egg.

or "wait until Wii U flops (LOL) and get it discounted. but never tell someone "YOU CAN'T HAVE THIS YOU DIRTY POOR" he is dealing with a disease and as long as he has it more or less under control why shouldn't he have an outlet? answer me that Mr. Chinn. tell me why teh poor can't have an outlet? all animals need play after all.

The hell are you talking about? I am the guy who brought up that he had recently gotten a Wii U and the whole reason I brought it up is because he said he could not pay his ambulance bills, so he could sell his Wii U and games for probably no loss what-so-ever and pay around 25% of what he owes. I never said he didn't deserve to have an entertainment device.

 

[Timedog]

Overreaction total.

Not really.

 

[Anticitizen One]

As long a you pay part of it they can't send you to collections. Send them 25.00 and your good.

Does this rule apply to everything? Like if I owe money to a school and they threaten to send my bill to collections if I just send in some money they can't send it?

 

[maliedoo]

Ask them to give you the complete bill and tell them you can only afford to pay $25/month or so, they usually accept. They know that if they send you to collections, they wont get all of the bill paid. I do that with my medical bills and it always works. This also works with any other bills you might have, schools, dental, etc, etc..

 

[maliedoo]

Does this rule apply to everything? Like if I owe money to a school and they threaten to send my bill to collections if I just send in some money they can't send it?

Schools and other educational institutions might want bigger payments, for example, you owe $1000, they would want 4 months of $250. Sometimes they will do as much as 6 months. Sometimes you get lucky and they accept whatever you give them.

 

[bill0527]

Again, he is covered. He simply has to pay the deductible.
Even if he didn't have the deductible on hand, it would take all of 2 phone calls to negotiate a payment plan and avoid having the bill be sent to collections.

An actual attempt to pay his bills would have been selling a brand new Wii U and games, calling the insurance company and asking for help understanding his bills and how to pay, calling the hospital to negotiate a payment plan, not letting the bill sit with no action for a month, etc.



People did read it. But there's a massive gap between "living at home and having my parents pay the bill" and "got a job so I can repay my parents and get back on my feet soon".
His situation sucks. But the way he handled it was irresponsible. In life, problems don't tend to magically go away. They need to be addressed.

All of this.

But in this thread, actually on this whole forum, asking someone to be responsible and pro-active to avoid future problems means you hate poor people, and bootstraps, something...something

 

[bill0527]

Does this rule apply to everything? Like if I owe money to a school and they threaten to send my bill to collections if I just send in some money they can't send it?

Always best to call and arrange these things up front BEFORE they get sent to collections. You have a much greater chance of sympathy and having someone negotiate a fair/lower payment for you if its the actual place you owe money to. If they don't hear from you for months on end and they send it to collections, you'll get no sympathy from random bill collector and they will demand that you meet THEIR payment arrangement and thats usually however it divides up to get the bill paid off within 90 days.

 

[Cyan]

Does this rule apply to everything? Like if I owe money to a school and they threaten to send my bill to collections if I just send in some money they can't send it?

I seriously doubt that "rule" applies to anything. The people you owe money to aren't going to be satisfied just because you gave them a single nominal payment.

maliedoo's post is on point. Work out a deal where you give them a monthly payment, and they might give you some flexibility.

 

[SlipperySlope]

I got insurance about two years ago through Blue Shield CA. The Vital Shield Plus 400 plan. Looking back, I got lucky. I only have to pay a $400 deductible. I'm grandfathered in, so I get to keep my plan. I tried to get my girlfriend on the same plan, and they don't offer it anymore. All new plans have a $2000 deductible minimum. I inquired why the minimum deductible went from $400 to $2000 in a few years, and they claimed it was because of changes to the health care rules (which I took as Obamacare).

I pay I think about $160-something a month (it's actually $187 including life insurance, which I need to cancel...).

 

[pje122]

I think, considering how he'd just survived a pretty scary suicide attempt and was trying to claw his way from the bottom by finding some enjoyment in life, it's not our place to judge him.

Perhaps. But when you make a thread like this, or any thread that involves a personal situation, what do you think is going to happen?

 

[sca2511]

After my accident two years ago. Collections are still calling me.