gary lindeberry's heart attack required a quadruple bypass., the retired factory worker didn't have insurance, figuring in six months he'd be eligible for medicare. >> i said we don't have the money for this. i can't do this. >> reporter: he told the doctor he'd just go home and wait. >> he was pretty plain that i didn't have six months. i probably didn't have two days. >> reporter: the bills for his care totaled close to $100,000. >> i wouldn't have made that in five years. >> reporter: the hospital sued the couple for payment, putting a lien on their home they kept their plight a secret. did you tell your kids? >> no. both of us come from families that paid their bills. >> reporter: by one estimate, americans owe $220 billion in medical debt, a leading cause of bankruptcy. the lindeberrys paid what they could but barely made a dent. then came the story of terry belk. you weren't running away from these bills. >> no, i wasn't running away. i was trying to actually pay them. >> reporteter: the nth carolina man who was struggling with medical d