When someone is diagnosed with an unexpected illness or is seriously injured in an accident, it can be devastating for everyone around them. Friends and family members are impacted emotionally and usually wish there was something they could do to help. While they may not be able to do anything medically to help their loved one in Lane County, they can put their love and support to work to help out financially with medical expenses.
Crowdsourcing sites can be used to rally other people who may want to help out. Crowd funding has made headlines in recent months as a number of Hollywood types have used them to raise money for creative projects. There are a number of reputable sites that are specifically designed to help people raise money in times of hardships and integrate with social media outlets to make it easier to achieve your goal. One woman raised nearly $4,000 for a friend who herniated a disk in her back and was unable to work. Another person raised close to $5,000 for a friend who was faced with overwhelming medical debt after being treated for a staph infection. Even small, $5 donations add up. Not all of the money will go directly to the person the money is being raised for, however; most fund raising sites charge anywhere from 7 to 8 percent to process the payments.
Crowd funding is a viable option to help loved ones find debt relief after a medical emergency, but there will be times when it simply isn’t enough. There are a number of different circumstances when medical bills can easily reach hundreds of thousands of dollars. In this case, it might be better to point your loved one in the direction of a bankruptcy attorney instead to stop collection and eliminate debt.
Source: StarNews Online, “Crowd-funding sites help locals with medical bills,” Mike Voorheis, Jan. 2, 2014
