How can I get out from under a mountain of medical debt?

If you’re a Long Island resident who is contemplating filing for bankruptcy, your debts may have accrued from many sources. Credit card debt, personal loans and student aid obligations can all take a huge chunk out of your disposable income.

But what also might be eroding your cash flow is medical debt — an expense that is totally unavoidable.

It’s easy to tell debtors to turn off the QVC, stay out of the mall and quit eating out, but not so simple to put off the heart by-pass or the knee replacement. And those debts are often the most costly of all.

In 2016, The New York Times reported 20 percent of those under 65 who had health insurance struggled to pay off their medical bills. Of that total, 63 percent claimed that they ran out of all or the bulk of their savings paying off medical bills. Anther 42 percent took an extra job to pay their health care costs.

It’s a sad reality that one major accident or illness can leave a family teetering over the abyss of debt. You can trim the fat in all areas of your life and still be flummoxed by how you will ever pay off your medical bills.

To that end, there is Chapter 7 bankruptcy. While certainly not a go-to first option for Long Island debtors, when all avenues to repay your bills have been closed, Chapter 7 remains a viable choice.

Don’t waste any more time dithering over your finances. Get some good answers to hard questions from a legal professional with experience filing personal bankruptcy.