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 own and her son’s health and paying off debt became Vall’s main priorities, leaving her emotional well-being aside.
“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.
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.
1. Know Where You Stand
The first step toward 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.
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.”
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.”
