744,000 homeless in United States

[itsbob]

Oh believe it. Unfortunately, the hardships come to families with jobs and homes. I've known a few people who have been forced to sell their homes due to medical expenses that aren't fully covered under their insurance policies. They've lost everything they've worked years to build. Whereas, if they were welfare recipients, all medical would have been paid. Every last penny of it.

So, it is possible and not that uncommon to wind up homeless due to medical expenses.

My point being you don't HAVE to.. It's great they wanted to pay their bills, and were responisble but at what cost? Hospitals will accept whatever you can afford to pay, even if it's $10 or 15 a month.. They can't and don't expect a middle income family to be able to payback or go broke paying back a million dollars worth of medical bills when your child has to have brain surgery due to an accident of some sort, and they won't deny you future services because you owe them money.

The worst that can happen if you don't pay your million dollar medical bill? Not much....

 

[mAlice]

My point being you don't HAVE to.. It's great they wanted to pay their bills, and were responisble but at what cost? Hospitals will accept whatever you can afford to pay, even if it's $10 or 15 a month.. They can't and don't expect a middle income family to be able to payback or go broke paying back a million dollars worth of medical bills when your child has to have brain surgery due to an accident of some sort, and they won't deny you future services because you owe them money.

The worst that can happen if you don't pay your million dollar medical bill? Not much....

I think it's a little more than the medical bills. Typically, a person is injured or ill, medical bills skyrocket, and that person is unable to work. Not only are the medical bills out of their reach, but so is their mortgage/electric/car payment/etc. At some point, you have nothing left.

 

[itsbob]

I think it's a little more than the medical bills. Typically, a person is injured or ill, medical bills skyrocket, and that person is unable to work. Not only are the medical bills out of their reach, but so is their mortgage/electric/car payment/etc. At some point, you have nothing left.

True, I was thinking more along the lines of someone's child getting hurt and amassing huge medical bills..

Didn't think of it as the main breadwinner getting hurt and being out for months for rehab or whatever. THAT would be devastating, I don't think many people have more then one or two months worth of emergency funds.

 

[FromTexas]

The homeless don't really draw any benefits. They get charitable handouts of food and shelter, and if they show up in the ER, they get medical services for emergencies. They usually aren't getting checks, food stamps, or other stuff because they don't have an address to send them to and they don't go apply at the locations to get them.

 

[itsbob]

The homeless don't really draw any benefits. They get charitable handouts of food and shelter, and if they show up in the ER, they get medical services for emergencies. They usually aren't getting checks, food stamps, or other stuff because they don't have an address to send them to and they don't go apply at the locations to get them.

I don't know how they got them, but the homeless in NH all had foodstamps, and the cops were busting stores up there for giving the bums 25 - 50% of the face value for their food stamps.. The bums would then purchase cigarettes and booze from the same stores.. (and no, it wasn't only the homeless that were doing it)

 

[bohman]

most people on the street have some form of mental illness. it may be fear of strangers, crippling depression or whatever, that's half the battle there.

Pete and Disco nailed it, a person needs to be at least somewhat mentally healthy before they can be productive enough to maintain employment and/or the good relationships with people that it takes to have a home.