My aunt severely broke her leg in November. She spent 3 days in the hospital, had x-rays and at least one MRI and had her leg surgically repaired. I think the total cost was around $12,000.

I work in a public assistance office in Pennsylvania determining client eligibility for Medicaid, and I have no idea if your Medicaid system is administered the same way. That said, I would suggest she apply for Medicaid. She is most likely considered temporarily disabled due to her injury. And she probably has reduced or zero income at this point in time. Even if she would have been over the income limit for Medicaid at the time of her accident, she may be eligible for a spend-down category (for example, if her bills came to $15,000 and she was over income by $5,000, she'd be responsible for that $5,000 and Medicaid would cover the other $10,000 if she is eligible for the spend-down).

Even if she is not eligible for medical assistance, many hospitals have programs to assist self-pay customers (under the Hill-Burton Act). Again, I'm speaking from my experience as a Medicaid worker in Pennsylvania, but it's worth asking about. The hospitals around here that do have these programs often require a denial from medical assistance as a requirement of eligibility.

Again, not sure how similar it is where you are, but I strongly urge you try...could save you a bundle!