[fabsroman]

Scalerman,

Nobody goes to jail in the US for not paying a bill, unless it is a Court ordered fine or Court ordered reparation. Reparation is usually ordered when a crime is committed that damages somebody's property.

If a person is really poor in the US, they will qualify for Medicaid and Medicaid will pick up the bill.

I have poor clients that have gone to the hospital under emergency circumstances and had tests and procedures done on them. One guy got out of the hospital owing $5,000. The only thing he owned was a 1992 Chevy Beretta that might have been worth $500. Sure, the hospital wanted to get paid, the emergency room physicians wanted to get paid, and the radiologist wanted to get paid. I worked out payment plans with all of them, and only one of the required that a judgment be entered in Court. By the way, my client could have avoided all of this headache if he decided to declare bankruptcy, but he decided to pay the bills instead.

Debtor's prison was something used in England many centuries ago. In the US, nobody goes to jail just because they owe somebody money, except for the two circumstances mentioned above. Forgot one more instance, Court ordered child support. The Court will hold a parent in contempt if the child support is not paid, and the parent will be put in jail for contempt.