Legal Question in Credit and Debt Law in Pennsylvania

Can a person now be sued for unpaid medical bills?


Asked on 1/16/15, 9:27 am

2 Answers from Attorneys

Charles A. Pascal, Jr. Law Office of Charles A. Pascal, Jr.

Now? Yes. And always could be in the past too.

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Answered on 1/16/15, 9:45 am

You do not provide any details. Can a person be sued? Yes. Anyone can be sued by anyone else at any time for any thing. So this cannot be your question.

The question to ask is not whether a person can be sued but whether if someone does sue, what is the likelihood of any recovery? The answer to that question of course is "it depends."

It depends on when the debt was incurred. It depends on when the last payment, if any, was made. It depends on what income/assets the debtor has and how they are titled. It depends on a lot of things which you do not discuss.

That all said, suits by medical bills are not all that common. There is no wage garnishment in PA for medical debts. Are you married? Your spouse, if any, may also be liable for your medical debts under the doctrine of necessaries possibly.

How much medical debt do you have? Enough to justify filing bankruptcy? My unscientific ballpark rule of thumb is for a debtor to have at least $10,000 in dischargeable debt if contemplating bankruptcy as anything less does not really make it worthwhile and the debt can be dealt with in other ways.

Hopefully I have given you some things to think about. If you would like to discuss your situation in confidence, please email me at [email protected].

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Answered on 1/16/15, 4:14 pm


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