Filing for Bankruptcy Can Bring Seniors Relief From Medical Debt
While you are in the workforce, it is easy to imagine that retirees are free from many of the expenses that keep you stuck living from paycheck to paycheck. Retirees don’t have to pay to park in the garage at work every day or buy gas from their commute. Senior discounts are easy to find if you have time to look for them, which you do if you aren’t working; seniors pay less for everything, from bus fare to breakfast at Denny’s. What those working people who envy your apparently simple life fail to appreciate is that, unlike you, they have a paycheck, as well as hope that their income will increase over time. Furthermore, most seniors retire not because they have enough money saved that they can afford to leave the workforce, but simply because they are no longer healthy enough to work. Medicare benefits made healthcare less costly for seniors over age 65 than they are for younger adults, but if you expect all your healthcare to be free once you turn 65, you are in for a disappointment. Medical debt can be burdensome for seniors, since they don’t have employment income to put toward paying it off. Seniors do, however, have the right to file for bankruptcy protection to discharge debts that they cannot pay. If medical debt is casting a dark shadow over your retirement years, and you are considering filing for bankruptcy, contact a Plantation bankruptcy and retirement lawyer.
Medicare Only Covers Dentistry in Catastrophic Scenarios
Your dental health affects the rest of your body; as unpleasant as it is to sit in the dentist’s chair under the bright lights and the sharp instruments, avoiding the dentist can worsen everything from your cardiovascular health to your cognitive function. Therefore, it would make sense for Medicare to pay for dental cleanings and routine dental care, but it does not. Unfortunately, Medicare only pays for dental treatment in the following scenarios, all of which involve the patient already being seriously ill:
- The dental treatment is part of inpatient treatment for a hospitalized patient, such as oral surgery as treatment for a traumatic injury.
- The patient is about to undergo heart valve surgery, and the surgeon recommends a dental cleaning before medically clearing the patient for surgery.
- The patient is about to begin chemotherapy and needs the dental treatment to cure an oral infection.
In the interest of your health, get those dental exams and root canals now, and worry about payment later.
Qualifying for Medicaid Nursing Home Benefits
Medicare pays for 100 days of residential treatment in a nursing home, but this is a drop in the bucket compared to what most seniors need. Medicaid will pay for nursing home care if you have no other means to pay for it, but it will reimburse itself from your Social Security check and, if possible, from your estate.
Work With a Debt Lawyer About Gray Bankruptcy
A South Florida debt lawyer can help you decide whether to file for bankruptcy if you are retired and struggling with medical debt. Contact Nowack & Olson, PLLC in Plantation, Florida to discuss your case.
Source:
medicare.gov/coverage/dental-services
