My story is similar. In early 2012 I was in the hospital for 4 days. My bill was $48,700+. My total outlay was $585.00. If I had not had insurance I could have lost a great deal.
I live in North Carolina and in this state they can take your home and sell it to satisfy a hospital bill. Not just NC either. If you have the time read the following article. Scary really. Hopefully it is not happening in your state.