Money Happens: Expert tips for managing medical debt

NEW YORK — In 2020, Jennifer Vall’s son was diagnosed with leukemia. A year later, she found out she had thyroid cancer. While Vall was debt-free and had a great credit score, medical bills kept adding up, leaving her with thousands of dollars in debt.

“I was able to utilize my credit to survive because one thing with cancer is (that) bills don’t stop just because somebody gets sick,” said Vall, 37, a healthcare training specialist for the state of Minnesota’s Department of Human Services.

Taking care of her and her son’s health and paying off debt became Vall’s main priorities, leaving her emotional well-being to the side.

“When you’re under a great deal of financial stress, it does present physically in forms of insomnia, migraines, and relational troubles,” said Ashley Agnew, a certified financial therapist.

___

EDITORS’ NOTE: The Money Happens series explores challenges and anxieties around money and offers helpful tips for dealing with them. Each episode features a case of an individual experiencing a challenging financial problem, whether it’s student loan or credit card debt, and an expert who can help provide strategies for working through these issues. You can listen to all of the episodes here.

___

After years of trying to make a dent in her medical debt, Vall decided to start working with a debt management company to pay the remaining $21,000.

If you are confronting medical debt, here are three recommendations:

1. Know where you stand

The first step towards creating an action plan to pay off your medical debt is to know how much you owe, Agnew said.

“It’s important to take a deep dive in. What parts of that are accumulating interest? How far out is the debt in the 30, 60, or 90-day cycle?” Agnew added.

Having a complete view of your finances will enable you to create a detailed plan to pay off your debt. And, if you need to, you might also reach out to organizations that help you build a payment plan.

2. Give yourself grace

While her son was going through a tough time during treatment, Vall bought him everything he desired. But now that he is healthy, she regrets having spent so much money.

“At the time, it was rightfully so," Vall said. “And looking back, I don’t know that I would have changed that. But part of me regrets doing that, (given) that he is here and there is more to be given to him.”

If you have a similar story to Vall’s, Agnew recommends giving yourself grace. Rather than blaming yourself for your past decisions, remember that you were doing your best under the circumstances.

3. Find your new relationship with money

As you continue your journey to pay off medical debt, it might be a good time to start thinking about what you want out of your relationship with money. That could be a concrete financial goal, like eventually buying a house, or something more intangible, like having more experiences with the people you love.

“When you really take a deep dive into your money story and into your relationship with money, what’s really fulfilling?" Agnew said. “Sometimes it’s not a thing but an experience or a feeling.”