In response to his text about the debts, she wrote, “I’m guessing is doctor bills?”

A car wreck led to another visit.īy 2022, when the Air Force recruiter looked into her finances, Bradford owed roughly $5,000 spread across a half-dozen bills. Another time, she was dehydrated and had to be brought to the hospital by ambulance. One time, she had a rash along her back that she feared was an allergic reaction. Over the years, when she landed in the emergency room without insurance, bills racked up quickly. Most of the jobs didn’t offer benefits, and since North Carolina had not expanded Medicaid, Bradford did not qualify for the public insurance. The pay covered rent, utilities, and food, but she had little left over. Later, she took overnight shifts at a hospital. She worked a variety of jobs to stay afloat - as a cashier, then as a cook and a staff member at a bowling alley for a bit. She took the qualifying exam in 2020 but delayed her enlistment so she could stay close to home and support her younger sister, who was in high school at the time. “I didn’t know your medical debt could stop you from joining.”īradford had dreamed of enlisting in the Air Force for years. “I was very upset and surprised,” Bradford said. The recruiter said she needed to set up payment plans to address the debts before she could enlist. Share Your Storyīradford had unpaid bills - mostly from hospitals and ambulance companies - that had gone to collections. Have you been forced into debt because of a medical or dental bill? Have you had to make any changes in your life because of such debt? Have you been pursued by debt collectors for a medical bill? We want to hear about it.

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