Will I incur a bill that will take a life time to pay?

The exception to in-state only Medicaid coverage is ER treatment for a true emergency. Please call the closest ER and verify that out-of-state Medicaid will be accepted for the specific problem here.

Try to find a Hill Burton hospital in the area and ask if they accept indigent patients.

I don't know much about cross state medicaid. But I do know that abcesses can go badly very quickly. The reason the doctor wants you to go to the ER is because you could easily become septic, and that is deadly. Please get to the nearest ER and explain the billing issue to them. They WILL work with you.

Angel

How difficult would it be to transfer status to a temporary address in Virginia to get Medicaid coverage in Virginia -- very worried about my friend's condition. It is an abscess and looks very bad.

Unfortunately, Medicaid does not cross State lines. You could call your State Medicaid office in New Jersey to see if there are any exceptions where one would need to go out-of-state for treatment.