# What happens if you refuse to pay a medical debt?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-you-refuse-to-pay-a-medical-debt/818136>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [July 18, 2018, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-you-refuse-to-pay-a-medical-debt/818136 "2018-07-18T09:33:01Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Fotheringay-Phipps](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/d9b06d/32.png) [@Fotheringay-Phipps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fotheringay-Phipps)\
**Post date:** [July 18, 2018, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-you-refuse-to-pay-a-medical-debt/818136/21 "2018-07-18T19:12:19Z")

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The most common instance of that actually occurring is “deadbeat dads”, who are routinely imprisoned on that basis.

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**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\
**Post date:** [July 18, 2018, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-you-refuse-to-pay-a-medical-debt/818136/22 "2018-07-18T19:15:04Z")

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> [@Whack-a-Mole](#):
>
> The US does not have debtors prisons in theory.

the OP does not reside in the U.S., which is why “where do you live” is an important question for him to answer.

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