Woman nearly went to jail over chilbirth debt

Imagine this a single mother nearly going to jail for an unpaid hospital bill for giving birth. Ten years ago. That sounds like a dreadful situation, but according to the Bermuda Sun, that is exactly what happened. A woman only identified by her last name, Smith, told the local newspaper that a debt collection agency sued her for a remaining $3,000 bill back from when she had a cesarean section to deliver her son, a more than a decade ago. What happened there?

Apparently, she was out of work when she gave birth to her baby, who is now 11 years old. The initial bill was $10,000, which she owed to the Bermuda Credit Association. The woman told the Bermuda Sun that she since paid off $7,000, but lost her job so could not pay the rest. The woman also said that she was owed $13,000 in child support by her son's dad. "He is not paying despite a court order to do so. They have warrants out for him but they say they can't find him. But they want to send me to jail for $3,000", Smith, who lives with her mom and is still uninsured, said. The irony can't be lost on anyone.

Mom is threatened with jail for a $3,000 bill, but no serious efforts are underway to retrieve a much larger debt owed to her by the man who helped create the child who happened to need a c-section to be born safely. The woman also told the newspaper in her interview that she needed help to pay for groceries, and couldn't even think about paying medical bills now. It was not clear what is going to happen to the woman and her child now besides an agreement made with the debt agency to wait until September before a court case, to give her time to find a job. It sounds like a very difficult and frankly unfair situation, and we wish her all the best! You may also like to read How long will you need to stay in hospital after a c-section?