7 ms·

> Is there an equivalent of a 'do not resuscitate' tattoo or something you can get that's along the lines of 'do not perform for-pay medical care on me'? You c

> Is there an equivalent of a 'do not resuscitate' tattoo or something you can get that's along the lines of 'do not perform for-pay medical care on me'? You can set yourself up to be judgment-proof, and hospitals can perform all the unwanted care they want to on you and they'll be able to collect basically $0. It's easier than it seems - move to Texas, leave all the assets in retirement accounts that you can, and plow all your liquid wealth into your primary residence.

esotericn 7y ago
How does that work if you're like, a working adult, with an income, not in retirement, though? If I go on holiday to the US, and for whatever reason through some minor flaw in my travel insurance (or just not having it; I imagine millions of people fly there without it each year) I'm not covered, it sounds like a person could easily rack up tens of thousands without realising if they weren't aware of this sort of thing.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
- chatmasta 7y ago
  If you’re not from the US, it would also be far easier for you to simply default on your debt. Actually I’m curious how medical debt is even enforced for non-citizens. Related, I have completely separate credit scores in the UK (resident) and US (citizen). I’m sure the bureaus would like to change that, but there is no system that lets them know I’m the same person.
  - aksss 7y ago
    I have a good friend that did that. Was a legal resident, accumulated tens of thousands in medical bills due to emergency services coming out of an elective surgery. He just moved back home (out of country). He’s not been pursued. They called his domestic residence multiple times but after being told he left the country and nobody knows where, they stopped.
  - ThrustVectoring 7y ago
    International legal cases are extremely expensive to prosecute - unless they know you have plenty of money and the amount in question is well into the 5-digit range, they'll probably just cut their losses.
- ThrustVectoring 7y ago
  Still works if you're a working adult - you just make sure that your outstanding cash balance is roughly zero (depending on wildcard/bank account exemptions). Wage garnishment basically isn't a thing in Texas (at least for medical debts), so if you don't have seizable cash in a bank account they pretty much just have to go pound sand.
- mnm1 7y ago
  Why would you care if you're not from the US? Get the healthcare and go back to whatever awesome place you come from with proper health care and be grateful you don't live here. US debt collectors cannot follow you outside the country.
  - disabled 7y ago
    The problem is if you become so sick that you cannot leave the US. That can be a tragic situation. That kind of situation can be avoided with International SOS insurance, on top of travel insurance. Basically, it is medevac (helicopter or small aircraft) insurance that repatriates you back to your home country.
chatmasta 7y ago
Pretty sure this is true in Florida as well. At least, they can’t put a lien on your house there.

esotericn 7y ago

How does that work if you're like, a working adult, with an income, not in retirement, though? If I go on holiday to the US, and for whatever reason through some minor flaw in my travel insurance (or just not having it; I imagine millions of people fly there without it each year) I'm not covered, it sounds like a person could easily rack up tens of thousands without realising if they weren't aware of this sort of thing.

deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
chatmasta 7y ago
If you’re not from the US, it would also be far easier for you to simply default on your debt. Actually I’m curious how medical debt is even enforced for non-citizens. Related, I have completely separate credit scores in the UK (resident) and US (citizen). I’m sure the bureaus would like to change that, but there is no system that lets them know I’m the same person.
- aksss 7y ago
  I have a good friend that did that. Was a legal resident, accumulated tens of thousands in medical bills due to emergency services coming out of an elective surgery. He just moved back home (out of country). He’s not been pursued. They called his domestic residence multiple times but after being told he left the country and nobody knows where, they stopped.
- ThrustVectoring 7y ago
  International legal cases are extremely expensive to prosecute - unless they know you have plenty of money and the amount in question is well into the 5-digit range, they'll probably just cut their losses.
ThrustVectoring 7y ago
Still works if you're a working adult - you just make sure that your outstanding cash balance is roughly zero (depending on wildcard/bank account exemptions). Wage garnishment basically isn't a thing in Texas (at least for medical debts), so if you don't have seizable cash in a bank account they pretty much just have to go pound sand.
mnm1 7y ago
Why would you care if you're not from the US? Get the healthcare and go back to whatever awesome place you come from with proper health care and be grateful you don't live here. US debt collectors cannot follow you outside the country.
- disabled 7y ago
  The problem is if you become so sick that you cannot leave the US. That can be a tragic situation. That kind of situation can be avoided with International SOS insurance, on top of travel insurance. Basically, it is medevac (helicopter or small aircraft) insurance that repatriates you back to your home country.

chatmasta 7y ago

Pretty sure this is true in Florida as well. At least, they can’t put a lien on your house there.