7 ms·

I have an acquaintance who is working in a top Bay Area tech company with a total compensation of close to $200k. Her parents visited her and sadly her Dad had

I have an acquaintance who is working in a top Bay Area tech company with a total compensation of close to $200k. Her parents visited her and sadly her Dad had a cardiac episode and had to be taken to ER. They stabilized him and thankfully he managed to go back to his home country and get proper treatment. The ER bill was about $50k and she decided that the best way to pay it was by creating a GoFundMe campaign before she even tried to negotiate with the hospital or fight it with the insurance. She managed to raise $15k. After seeing that I am reluctant to donate any money to GoFundMe campaigns.

xenospn 7y ago
Most people visiting the US have travel insurance which can cover most or all related costs for about $1/day.
- noncoml 7y ago
  Yes. But you usually have to fight it to get it. They will very often try to play the “pre-existing condition” card, as they did in this case.
  - bluescrn 7y ago
    Which is the fundamental problem with private healthcare. Fine if you win the genetic lottery. Not so much if you’re born with pre-existing conditions.
    - justrudd 7y ago
      If only it was just genetics. I broke my right leg (femur) when I was 4 years old. After it healed, I never had a single problem with it. Played basketball, baseball, and I still lift weights today. I'm not in great shape, but probably better than average. My right knee started giving me problems. Meniscus tear. Didn't need a surgical solution just PT. Insurance denied paying for my PT because of "strain on the ligaments caused by prior break to femur". 39 years later? Maybe. But to deny PT sessions over that? That's stretching it.
  - xenospn 7y ago
    You don't. Your insurance company back home will fight with the US provider.
- altmind 7y ago
  Moreover, when on J1 visa you can get qualifying insurance for 30$/yr. It seems that such insurances may not cover long disability - you may need to go to your home country for a serious treatment.
- StreamBright 7y ago
  Not at all. A good insurance that gets you actually covered for more than tipping over in your shoelace is much more. 1 month: https://ibb.co/fnq4d1v https://ibb.co/fnq4d1v Details: https://ibb.co/PTrSFHx https://ibb.co/PTrSFHx https://ibb.co/cvyPvjW https://ibb.co/cvyPvjW
  - xenospn 7y ago
    Depends on the country. In Israel, it's between $1-$3 per day.
bluedino 7y ago
Can a medical bill follow you back to your home country?
- nradov 7y ago
  Of course. It's no different than any other debt. In theory the provider can obtain a judgment against the patient and then ask the home country's court system to enforce it. But in practice this is so expensive, uncertain, and time consuming that most creditors will just write it off as bad debt.
- dougmwne 7y ago
  I recently read about people with US student loan debt escaping from it by going abroad where their credit history wouldn't follow them and the loan companies would't be able to get wage garnishments. It's at least possible that this woman's father had no real incentive to pay the bill, making the GoFundMe triply redundant.
  - retiredcoder 7y ago
    So, I cannot speak how easy/hard is to collect debt abroad but I do know that it is possible for prospective employers to query the credit history. I have recently applied for a job in the finance industry in Denmark, the institution did poke into my American financial life. That also happened when I worked for banks the UK and Wall Street.
superfrank 7y ago
Maybe I'm just being dumb, but I don't really understand why that makes you reluctant to donate. It's not like your friend is trying to scam you or anything. That money is actually going to a bill that they are required to pay. Most people I talk to don't even know they can negotiate hospital bills. Seems weird to act like your friend or GoFundMe is the villain here, when the issue is really a healthcare system that has a "secret menu".
- reallydontask 7y ago
  isn't the issue the fact that said friend could afford to pay the bill? This is not to detract from your comment about the system being broken
- noncoml 7y ago
  I am not so sure. When she has the money to pay for it, but instead chooses to portrait like she doesn't and asks others to pay for it, I think it's at least immoral. It goes without saying that the healthcare system is completely broken, but that doesn't justify above behavior.
  - bbarn 7y ago
    200K in the bay area is not exactly wealthy. It's a solid middle to upper-middle class wage. Taking a 50K hit for something you did nothing to deserve, just because you love your parent is stupid. I would hate it if my daughter tried to do that for me.
    - imgabe 7y ago
      What did their friends and acquaintances do to deserve the bill?
      - warent 7y ago
        Sorry but this sounds a little bit backward to me. Helping a friend in need or being altruistic is never a punishment. It's like refusing to donate money to some cause because what did I do to deserve that? Really an odd statement.
davidw 7y ago
I sometimes give to them, but I also make a donation to politicians or groups fighting for an actual fix for the health care system in this country.
bazooka_penguin 7y ago
A donation isnt an obligation. If you're willing give then by all means do so, if not then it's not a big deal and if your friend gives you trouble for it then tell her off. I see your discomfort with her making a GoFundMe the same as you view her not trying to negotiate the price down. When you're comfortable setting boundaries a lot of the discomfort in life goes away and things like trying to negotiate with someone or being uncomfortable with friends looking for (perhaps unnecessary) help on a bill become things you can handle
maxxxxx 7y ago
"The ER bill was about $50k and she decided that the best way to pay it was by creating a GoFundMe campaign before she even tried to negotiate with the hospital or fight it with the insurance. " at a minimum she should have tried to deal with the insurance and the hospital first. She makes 200k. There are other people who are much more deserving of help.
- superfrank 7y ago
  Donations aren't a zero sum game. If she's soliciting her social network, odds are most of these donations aren't being diverted from other GoFundMes. Most of the money donated would probably be spent in other ways if the campaign didn't exist.
  - maxxxxx 7y ago
    Personally I have seen a pattern where people who are making more money are less reluctant to ask for money versus people who really don’t have money. They often seem to suffer in silence. I have now seen several occasions where people who are making very good money are hitting others up for money for health care or weddings. It leaves a bad taste with me. From a certain income you should take care of yourself.
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
ikiris 7y ago
What does what she make have to do with a bill for her parents?
tonymet 7y ago
200k is lower middle class in sf

xenospn 7y ago

Most people visiting the US have travel insurance which can cover most or all related costs for about $1/day.

noncoml 7y ago
Yes. But you usually have to fight it to get it. They will very often try to play the “pre-existing condition” card, as they did in this case.
- bluescrn 7y ago
  Which is the fundamental problem with private healthcare. Fine if you win the genetic lottery. Not so much if you’re born with pre-existing conditions.
  - justrudd 7y ago
    If only it was just genetics. I broke my right leg (femur) when I was 4 years old. After it healed, I never had a single problem with it. Played basketball, baseball, and I still lift weights today. I'm not in great shape, but probably better than average. My right knee started giving me problems. Meniscus tear. Didn't need a surgical solution just PT. Insurance denied paying for my PT because of "strain on the ligaments caused by prior break to femur". 39 years later? Maybe. But to deny PT sessions over that? That's stretching it.
- xenospn 7y ago
  You don't. Your insurance company back home will fight with the US provider.
altmind 7y ago
Moreover, when on J1 visa you can get qualifying insurance for 30$/yr. It seems that such insurances may not cover long disability - you may need to go to your home country for a serious treatment.
StreamBright 7y ago
Not at all. A good insurance that gets you actually covered for more than tipping over in your shoelace is much more. 1 month: https://ibb.co/fnq4d1v https://ibb.co/fnq4d1v Details: https://ibb.co/PTrSFHx https://ibb.co/PTrSFHx https://ibb.co/cvyPvjW https://ibb.co/cvyPvjW
- xenospn 7y ago
  Depends on the country. In Israel, it's between $1-$3 per day.

bluedino 7y ago

Can a medical bill follow you back to your home country?

nradov 7y ago
Of course. It's no different than any other debt. In theory the provider can obtain a judgment against the patient and then ask the home country's court system to enforce it. But in practice this is so expensive, uncertain, and time consuming that most creditors will just write it off as bad debt.
dougmwne 7y ago
I recently read about people with US student loan debt escaping from it by going abroad where their credit history wouldn't follow them and the loan companies would't be able to get wage garnishments. It's at least possible that this woman's father had no real incentive to pay the bill, making the GoFundMe triply redundant.
- retiredcoder 7y ago
  So, I cannot speak how easy/hard is to collect debt abroad but I do know that it is possible for prospective employers to query the credit history. I have recently applied for a job in the finance industry in Denmark, the institution did poke into my American financial life. That also happened when I worked for banks the UK and Wall Street.

superfrank 7y ago

Maybe I'm just being dumb, but I don't really understand why that makes you reluctant to donate. It's not like your friend is trying to scam you or anything. That money is actually going to a bill that they are required to pay. Most people I talk to don't even know they can negotiate hospital bills. Seems weird to act like your friend or GoFundMe is the villain here, when the issue is really a healthcare system that has a "secret menu".

reallydontask 7y ago
isn't the issue the fact that said friend could afford to pay the bill? This is not to detract from your comment about the system being broken
noncoml 7y ago
I am not so sure. When she has the money to pay for it, but instead chooses to portrait like she doesn't and asks others to pay for it, I think it's at least immoral. It goes without saying that the healthcare system is completely broken, but that doesn't justify above behavior.
- bbarn 7y ago
  200K in the bay area is not exactly wealthy. It's a solid middle to upper-middle class wage. Taking a 50K hit for something you did nothing to deserve, just because you love your parent is stupid. I would hate it if my daughter tried to do that for me.
  - imgabe 7y ago
    What did their friends and acquaintances do to deserve the bill?
    - warent 7y ago
      Sorry but this sounds a little bit backward to me. Helping a friend in need or being altruistic is never a punishment. It's like refusing to donate money to some cause because what did I do to deserve that? Really an odd statement.

davidw 7y ago

I sometimes give to them, but I also make a donation to politicians or groups fighting for an actual fix for the health care system in this country.

bazooka_penguin 7y ago

A donation isnt an obligation. If you're willing give then by all means do so, if not then it's not a big deal and if your friend gives you trouble for it then tell her off. I see your discomfort with her making a GoFundMe the same as you view her not trying to negotiate the price down. When you're comfortable setting boundaries a lot of the discomfort in life goes away and things like trying to negotiate with someone or being uncomfortable with friends looking for (perhaps unnecessary) help on a bill become things you can handle

maxxxxx 7y ago

"The ER bill was about $50k and she decided that the best way to pay it was by creating a GoFundMe campaign before she even tried to negotiate with the hospital or fight it with the insurance. " at a minimum she should have tried to deal with the insurance and the hospital first. She makes 200k. There are other people who are much more deserving of help.

superfrank 7y ago
Donations aren't a zero sum game. If she's soliciting her social network, odds are most of these donations aren't being diverted from other GoFundMes. Most of the money donated would probably be spent in other ways if the campaign didn't exist.
- maxxxxx 7y ago
  Personally I have seen a pattern where people who are making more money are less reluctant to ask for money versus people who really don’t have money. They often seem to suffer in silence. I have now seen several occasions where people who are making very good money are hitting others up for money for health care or weddings. It leaves a bad taste with me. From a certain income you should take care of yourself.

deleted 7y ago

[deleted]

ikiris 7y ago

What does what she make have to do with a bill for her parents?

tonymet 7y ago

200k is lower middle class in sf