How to Avoid a Medical Bankruptcy

One of the most common reasons that someone declares bankruptcy is due to overwhelming medical bills. Even just one accident or unexpected illness can create thousands of dollars of medical bills. Unless you are prepared for such a situation, you can easily find yourself drowning in debt. So how do you prepare for the unexpected? First, get insurance. Medical insurance can be expensive and seem unnecessary especially if you are healthy, but it will save you hundreds of dollars (maybe even thousands) if you need to have any major medical procedure or even just have a trip to the emergency room. If you are generally healthy, you can consider purchasing a high deductible plan which has lower monthly premiums. With a high deductible plan, you may also be able to set up a FSA or HSA account in which you can save money for medical expenses tax-free. Just be sure to read all the terms and conditions of these accounts (funds in FSA accounts generally must be spent within the year or you lose them, but HSA accounts typically can accumulate funds year to year).

Second, start saving now. Even if you are only able to save $20 a month, start saving immediately. Every little bit that you are able to save will help in an emergency. It may seem difficult to save money at first, but it will gradually get easier especially as you see your balance grow. A great way to make sure that you save at least a little money each month is to set up an automatic transfer from your checking account to your savings account or have part of your paycheck directly deposited into your savings account.  Once you have enough savings to cover 3-6 months of expenses, you can feel a little more at ease knowing that you are financially prepared for an emergency.