this post was submitted on 11 Feb 2026
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A Boring Dystopia

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[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 55 points 3 weeks ago (8 children)

the hospital went to court to garnish 35% of her wages. She works at McDonalds.

Not that I question the unsourced anecdotes of the God account, but I'd be genuinely curious to see a business that thought an astronomical legal bill would be worth garnishing the wages of a service sector worker.

As someone with family in the legal profession and the medical billing profession, it's crazy to think of the cost-benefit of pursuing this kind of claim given the return expected. Hospitals write off millions a year in "bad debt", because collection is consistently more expensive than the real value of these claims.

[–] CaptDust@sh.itjust.works 45 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Can hospitals still sell their debts to third party collection agencies? Those groups seem like exactly the type to garnish McD wages.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 29 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Collection agencies will buy hospital debt at pennies on the dollar. And then collection agencies can try to annoy you into paying. But they have an even weaker claim on your debt than the original hospital. Getting a court to agree to garnish wages is a drawn out process. And it can be easily circumvented if you quit your job and take up employment somewhere else. In the service sector, that happens so routinely as to make wage garnishment a fool's errand.

[–] Zoot@reddthat.com 5 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I've had my wages garnished from an ambulance trip. 18Y/o me was insanely confused when HR pulled me aside to let me know.

They ended up only getting a few hundred Bucks, how could that possibly have been worth it for them? In any case if they would do that to me it would surprise me to hear they do it to others as well.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 6 points 3 weeks ago

They ended up only getting a few hundred Bucks, how could that possibly have been worth it for them?

If the debt collector bought the debt for pennies on the dollar, there are edge cases. Even then, it's an expensive process to try and only works as long as you're rooted in a particular job. As soon as you leave, the collectors have to go back and refile all their claims against you against the new employer.

So it generally isn't worth the time, which is why the post is sus.

John Oliver bought a bunch to forgive if I remember correctly.

[–] Carrot@lemmy.today 20 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

My brother in law had a medical bill that was supposed to be covered by insurance, but they didn't pay. (A small-ish bill of a few thousand dollars) His bill was sent to collections, and they hounded him for years, despite him having in writing that the insurance and hospital both agreed that the insurance was supposed to cover it. After 8 years, they started garnishing his wages. This is when he decided to get a lawyer involved, and he was able to successfully sue the hospital for garnishing wages illegally. The hospital had to pay out 30K.

All that to say, hospitals aren't always acting intelligently or legally.

[–] Dozzi92@lemmy.world 9 points 3 weeks ago (4 children)

How did they garnish his wages without having a court involved? They would had to have sued him already in court.

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[–] waterSticksToMyBalls@lemmy.world 10 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

They legally cannot garnish more than 25% of your earnings after taxes

Edit Op is correct

[–] corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca 11 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

And with a 25-30% tax rate that makes the pre-tax skim 35.7% .

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[–] flandish@lemmy.world 5 points 3 weeks ago

i worked also in the data transfer and reporting portion of hosp billing and can tell you, from the pov of the folks with two commas in their salaries, it’s all just bog standard heartless capitalism to them.

[–] Dyskolos@lemmy.zip 5 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

I'd argue that the actual truth of that story is totally secondary. It might be false and probably is, but the main premise of a draining, soul-crushing "healthcare" system is the point. And nobody would probably question that.

This anectode being wrong would not change it.

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[–] surewhynotlem@lemmy.world 4 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

You don't. You sell those to debt collection agencies and they garnish the wages.

[–] UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 4 points 3 weeks ago (4 children)

Wage garnishment happens at the end of a long series of legal filings and claims against the debtor.

And, again, you can avoid it by changing jobs. Which is easy enough for someone in a low wage service sector that very few debt collectors bother trying.

You tend to push for wage garnishment when the person is in a job they can't easily leave - partner at a law firm, manager at a Fortune 500 company, tenured professor - not someone who can walk across the street and land a new job doing the same work at the same pay over the weekend.

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[–] BillyClark@piefed.social 43 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Similarly, if you're accused of a crime and you're poor, you might not be able to afford bail money, so you'll be stuck in jail and you'll inevitably lose your job, ruining your life, regardless of whether you're guilty or innocent.

Meanwhile if you're rich and an Epstein co-conspirator pedophile who raped and sex trafficked children, the government won't even arrest you.

[–] ShaggySnacks@lemmy.myserv.one 10 points 3 weeks ago

Meanwhile if you’re rich and an Epstein co-conspirator pedophile who raped and sex trafficked children, the government won’t even arrest you.

In fact, the government will do everything it can to protect you!

[–] ayyy@sh.itjust.works 38 points 3 weeks ago

Why aren’t people having families? It must be the porn and the queers. That’s the only possible explanation. Yessiree.

[–] Formfiller@lemmy.world 33 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (1 children)

And homelessness is illegal now so I’m sure the system will inevitably end up imprisoning her and forcing her to preform slave labor in a for profit prison and she will have her children taken away and placed into a system that will abuse and exploit them until they age out and end up in the for profit prison system as 80% of foster youth do The system is corrupt from top to bottom. Nothing will improve until the pedofile parasite class fears the masses

[–] village604@adultswim.fan 10 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

For profit prisons are a problem, but they're not the main problem. Only about 8% of prisoners in the US are in for profit prisons.

The real problem is state run prisons and the contracts they give to for profit businesses.

[–] forrgott@lemmy.sdf.org 6 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Oh, the real problem is slavery is still legal if you're incarcerated. But, I don't disagree with you, either.

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[–] Formfiller@lemmy.world 3 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

The real problem is the system is corrupted from top to bottom and we need a revolution

[–] djdarren@piefed.social 24 points 3 weeks ago (4 children)

Hol' up: You guys even have to pay for medical treatment for your kids? What kind of fucky shit have you got going on over there. Stop that.

[–] Pyr_Pressure@lemmy.ca 19 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

They say Pro life but fuck over the poor kids after they're born.

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[–] Soulg@ani.social 10 points 3 weeks ago

Id ask why you'd think our kids would get any special treatment but I'm too used to hell I guess

[–] BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today 9 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Dude, you have to pay for EVERYTHING in America. They already charge us to put air in our tires, if they could figure out how to charge us to put it into our lungs, they would.

[–] forrgott@lemmy.sdf.org 7 points 3 weeks ago

Well, with how many were killed "accidentally" during the removal of homeless encampments in the past couple years, we're kinda at that point aren't we?

Fuck...

[–] WizardofFrobozz@lemmy.ca 5 points 3 weeks ago

They won’t stop it. They refuse to even think about it- utter cowardice.

[–] michaelalf@lemmy.world 24 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

My Son broke his arm (type 3 fracture) last week. We went to our local ER and were seen immediately. We ended up spending 3 nights in hospital and having multiple surgeries to pin and correct the break. He's on a 6 week care plan with scheduled appointments with a specialist team.

Want to guess how much it cost us? $0 (or 1.5% bracketed tax of my income per year) b-b-but that's socialism!!

No we don't have fancy private health insurance, we just live in a country that doesn't punish it's citizens for being poor.

The USA needs a revolution.

[–] hector@lemmy.today 6 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Well you see, not having good insurance shows god's disfavor. It's all part of his mysterious plan that those with insurance were going to get cheated further out of their agreed upon insurance plan, and the government to be paid off by that insurance to allow it.

So while we, as Christians, especially Evangelicals and Calvinists and Baptists and the like, would love to help the poor, doing so would be to defy god's will. It was predestined that we were to be selfish assholes actively trying to hurt the poors in every way.

The Prosperity Doctrine and social darwinism decree that they are poor because that's the way god intended for it to be. I am a wealthy selfish prick because I have god's favour. Tough break. /s

[–] NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world 21 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (4 children)

Everything else aside, why the fuck can they garnish 35% of a low income worker wage. If garnishing is a thing, there should be some kinds of means testing based on income that makes it a sliding scale that is substantially lower than 35% for a McDonalds worker.

[–] Buddahriffic@lemmy.world 7 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

I recall reading something about some states either trying or succeeding to bring back debtor prisons.

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[–] InvalidName2@lemmy.zip 6 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

I personally don't accept the 35% as a 100% true and pure fact, without some citations. However, the percentage obviously isn't the point here, so I wouldn't get too hung up on the exact number. Even if it was 3.5%, this general situation is still inexcusable.

For the record, most places limit wage garnishment for debts at something like 10% - 25%. Certain types of debt, like student loan debt and medical debt, are often lower or on the lower end. And lower income, with higher costs like having children, can also reduce the max %.

[–] Xella@lemmy.world 6 points 3 weeks ago

In my state it's up to 25%, you can guess what % is chose every time. Ask me how I know, currently losing 25% each check right now. It hits hard.

[–] forrgott@lemmy.sdf.org 3 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Child support used to take a full half of my income. So, I can believe it.

Day I got the letter saying I had fully repaid that shit?Fucking brought me to tears.

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[–] Horsey@lemmy.world 4 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

Last I checked near me, these guardrails exist, but I’m sure in some red state they’re allowed to garnish wages for medical debt with no restrictions.

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[–] rumba@lemmy.zip 12 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

One of my good friends about a decade ago had this very argument.

The right swore to everyone that hospitals can't turn you away, they have to treat you and if you can't pay for it they'll let you out of it.

I was working healthcare adjecent at the time, I'm telling him Fuck now, that's not how this works. It is a possible outcome.

If you walkin homeless, they might get you to the point where you're stable and set you free, but as soon as you have a kid there and you have to give them an ID and a name, your chances of being fucked go up 10x

[–] Pyr_Pressure@lemmy.ca 3 points 3 weeks ago

Yet then if you are a mother and don't take your child to see medical care you are accused of child neglect and have them potentially taken away or you go to jail because you couldn't afford to take them to the hospital.

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[–] MeatPilot@sh.itjust.works 11 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

This is what I think truly turns people into law breakers, I won't say criminals. When the system works against you, why work with the system?

Low income people get pushed down so hard for trying. I'm am not at all surprised when they turn to illegal income to just try to have a little piece of what other people are born into.

All her children are learning that lesson. They are learning "No one is going to help you and the system is only there to hurt you."

[–] Soup@lemmy.world 10 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

You don’t have to think it, we have plenty of evidence. The best way to fight crime is to fight poverty but that requires actually caring for others.

[–] AA5B@lemmy.world 7 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

The sad thing is that it doesn’t even require caring for others.

It’s in everyone’s best interest to reduce crime before they become victims therefore it’s in your best interest to fight poverty.

The wealthy may be insulated from the consequences of their choices but surely the other 99% vote in their own best interest, right?

[–] Soup@lemmy.world 7 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

Yup. Honestly, I don’t like most people. I’m known as very friendly and I have close friendships, people trust me, and I do have sizeable groups of people I like but 95% of the population I do not and will likely never want to be anywhere remotely near if at all possible…

…AND YET I still want everyone to be better. I still live in a city and I still willingly take and support public transit despite owning a car. Today, I gave a homeless guy a protein shake for him and treats for his dog. I gave someone I detest my gloves during a fire alarm which put us all put in the cold because they couldn’t get to their jacket before leaving. I do NOT understand how their can be people so full of hate that they not only have literally violent reactions to other people existing but that they will hurt themselves in order keep others from even a small amount of peace. It’s honestly a huge stress point because how the fuck are things supposed to progress if that’s how so many people are?

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[–] MeatPilot@sh.itjust.works 3 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

True, everyone ignores that obvious fact and here we are. Thousands of years of history repeating itself. The systems have evolved, but not the people.

So all we did was get really good at oppression and making everyone else think it's the victims problem, so the power stays at the top.

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[–] squaresinger@lemmy.world 10 points 3 weeks ago

My first child has a genetic disorder. We had to spend 4 months in hospital during the first year and just one medication the kid has to take costs ~€250k per year.

For the hospital stay we paid a total of €0.

The medication costs ~€7 per pack and is capped to 2% of my yearly income.

Apparently not letting kids die from treatable conditions is socialism though.

[–] canofcam@lemmy.world 8 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

Whether you are a hardcore capitalist, or any other political ideology, I just don't understand how anybody can be against social policies.

In my country, people complain that our benefits system is crippling us. SOME people take advantage of our disabilities and childcare benefits, but it's a small price to pay for having them -- at the end of the day, if I had a disability which meant I could not work, my country would take care of me. For that, I am more than happy to pay more tax.

This extends to healthcare, childcare, education, etc. it's easy to sit and grumble when you see the tax bill every month, but god forbid you ever actually need these services. I am VERY happy I do not require disability benefits, and I am VERY happy that I pay into a system that makes this (and other services) available for those who do.

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[–] sonofearth@lemmy.world 6 points 3 weeks ago

In India we do have affordable public healthcare but 99% of it is so shit, corrupt, with pretty poor medical infrastructure, long waiting, unhygienic surroundings, poor security, poor air conditioning, and so on. So that one has to visit a private hospital or clinic to get treated. And most of the times they don’t accept public healthcare insurance coverage like ESI (Employee State Insurance) or Ayushaman-Bharat so you have to shell out extra out of your pocket to get a Private Health coverage plan. If you have a private plan, the private hospitals then submit invoices with higher fees to the insurer to mint more money from them thus reducing their cash to pay for other patients. The central government barely allocates any budget to healthcare and education.

I heard about a case from Bihar (one of the least developed states) where they constructed a public hospital for millions of dollars (which is very high thus some corrupt official or politician ate that money) only for it to be incomplete and abandoned.

[–] CADmonkey@lemmy.world 5 points 3 weeks ago

I know a woman. She grew up with her mom, and her brother. When her brother was born, he had significant medical problems. (The father, being just about the worst POS to exist, reacted to news of his son's medical problems by finding himself a new girlfriend.) Since this happened in the US, the family had to sell their house and property, and this family grew up on the edge of homelessness as a result.

When this happens to one person it can affect generations. Healthcare more like what the rest of the world has could have allowed these people to be contributors to society (and taxes) instead of burdens to them.

Problem is, Money Obsessed Persons are often too stupid to understand any other concepts than money. They cannot understand cause and effect for anything that will happen more than three months from a given date. So the idea that helping a child now equals a taxpayer in the future is not something they are able to understand.

[–] DavidDoesLemmy@aussie.zone 4 points 3 weeks ago (1 children)

What the hell country is this in? Aren't ER visits free?

[–] village604@adultswim.fan 8 points 3 weeks ago (3 children)

You have one guess and 3 letters to work with.

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[–] slingstone@lemmy.world 3 points 3 weeks ago

"...might be taxed more."

Or taxed at all. If I dodged taxes the way these billionaire buttholes do, they would have already buried me UNDER the jail.

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