I'm not sure it's post-haggling: Brits aren't used to this kind of stuff.
Also, yeah, that's really a problem too, the way hospital charge a ton, because they only collect a part of that anyway (since people end up defaulting like Smeeprocket, because they can't afford the full, super-inflated price.
yea in retrospect I was really lucky (as much as one can be with disability) on all accounts. The debt getting erased, getting on disability at all.
I know a woman who has Lupus and Fybromialgia (sp?) and because she could walk ten steps, the social worker denied her disability. She had to go to court and fight it. The judge was, fortunately, not pleased with the social worker and was tearing him a new one after the case was settled.
Her teeth are rotting out from lupus, getting severely infected, and the hospital won't treat her because "they aren't dentists". It would cost her 12k to get her teeth pulled, not including dentures. Plus, the hospital consistently treats her horribly because they think she is on meth because of her teeth.
They did this to me while I was laid up. Kept making me take drug tests, eventually took my pain meds away (nurse proudly ripped the pain patch off my arm,) because I have piercings and tattoos.
I am sure I had quite the rating on the SCUM index. They were probably rather disappointed that I made it.