If you or someone in your family needs health care in Pennsylvania, you can expect to pay around $21 an hour for the privilege. This is the average cost of health aid in the state, which works out at around $21,840 a year.
This shows how expensive medical care is in Pennsylvania – and as Pennsylvania is one of the most populous states in America, the health care for Pennsylvanians has significant implications for the whole nation. It is also worth noting that 17% of the population are 65 or older, so there is a clear demand for senior health care in the state – but thankfully Pennsylvania lawmakers are pushing legislation that protects Americans from expensive medical coverage changes.
Uncertain Medical Costs
The cost of medical bills is a big problem for most Americans. In fact, medical bills are the largest factor for Americans who declare bankruptcy! This is extremely problematic as it means that most Americans essentially can’t afford to hurt themselves – and varying health costs across Pennsylvania make it even harder for citizens to predict the potential cost of their healthcare.
So what can you do to make sure that medical bills don’t ruin your financial situation? It can be difficult to get back on track after being issued with thousands of dollars of medical debt, but it isn’t impossible. One of the important things is to be aware of how medical bills can affect your credit score, as a lack of knowledge could make your situation even worse.
How Your Medical Costs Can Affect Your Credit
Medical bills can affect your credit score, but this isn’t always the case; your credit score will only be affected if your debt goes to a collection agency. If this happens the medical bill will be with you for a while; recent changes in 2017 mean that Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion will now wait until your medical bill has been delinquent for at least 180 days before they add it to your credit report. This is useful as the health insurance process is quite slow, so even if something is being covered the reimbursement could take a long time to be processed.
If you find out that your medical debt is going to a collection agency, you should work out the date of the delinquency. This means that you will know how long you have to pay the bill before it affects your credit score – and this is very useful, as once your debt is on your credit report it will stay there for seven years.
It is important for Pennsylvanians to be aware of how to deal with potential medical costs, as some key factors vary by state, such as general costs and collection agency regulations.
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