Dealing with health bill/collection agency

Call the hospital billing and ask for an itemized bill. You want very specific, detailed info on this bill, not one of those $1600 for services rendered bills. Then find out why the records were not forwarded as requested.

The bottom line is you owe the money, but you have a few options. Since it went to collections, the collection agency paid pennies on the dollar for the debt, so by paying then a few pennies more on the dollar, they make a profit and are happy. They will claim you owe the whole amount, plus interest and fees, but this is just a tactic, tell them to sue you and you will see them in court.

You could pay the hospital, either the whole amount or a negotiated discount (I would offer 20% to start), and then sue them in small claims court for the payment amount since that is the cost of your loss since they did not forward the medical records in a timely fashion.

Or you could do nothing. They did ding your credit, and it will hurt you for a while, but they, by law, only have 4 years to collect on that debt, as long as you do nothing and do not allow them to start over by discussing that debt with them. I would also google search fighting collections, I know there are some great forums that tell you how to fight them, and I know there are people out there that make a living by suing debt collectors for harassing them.

Quote from General Ghoul : Call the hospital billing and ask for an itemized bill. You want very specific, detailed info on this bill, not one of those $1600 for services rendered bills. Then find out why the records were not forwarded as requested. The bottom line is you owe the money, but you have a few options. Since it went to collections, the collection agency paid pennies on the dollar for the debt, so by paying then a few pennies more on the dollar, they make a profit and are happy. They will claim you owe the whole amount, plus interest and fees, but this is just a tactic, tell them to sue you and you will see them in court. You could pay the hospital, either the whole amount or a negotiated discount (I would offer 20% to start), and then sue them in small claims court for the payment amount since that is the cost of your loss since they did not forward the medical records in a timely fashion. Or you could do nothing. They did ding your credit, and it will hurt you for a while, but they, by law, only have 4 years to collect on that debt, as long as you do nothing and do not allow them to start over by discussing that debt with them. I would also google search fighting collections, I know there are some great forums that tell you how to fight them, and I know there are people out there that make a living by suing debt collectors for harassing them.

You need a detailed bill (it will be lengthy) from the hospital. Unfortunately with insurance they may only cover the cost of one test - presumably the first set run by the specialist.

Get your game face on. Collectors can be nasty and manipulative. Never, Never, never give them access to your credit card number or bank accounts. (I know, I know..you never would but you would be surprised at how many people do...). There are state and federal laws that collectors must follow. Unfortunately there are some who see these more as guidelines and will put serious pressure on you.

Good luck. Since it's gone to collections, I would only deal with the hospital on the billing side. Get a copy of the bill - down to the last pill she took. If you are able to reach a settlement with the collectors, get everything in writing before you pay. Make sure it says something like "this amount is accepted as payment in full. The debt against you is canceled for XX.XX" If in doubt, I would ask legal aid in your area for assistance.

Really appreciate the input.

Quote from General Ghoul : Call the hospital billing and ask for an itemized bill. You want very specific, detailed info on this bill, not one of those $1600 for services rendered bills. Then find out why the records were not forwarded as requested.

Got the itemized bill already, but it's meaningless to me. We never found out why the records never arrived. At this point, the date of those maybe-never-transferred records is 2 years in the past -- and since we paid the cash rush fee, I don't see any way of ever tracking down what happened.

Quote from General Ghoul : The bottom line is you owe the money, but you have a few options. Since it went to collections, the collection agency paid pennies on the dollar for the debt, so by paying then a few pennies more on the dollar, they make a profit and are happy. They will claim you owe the whole amount, plus interest and fees, but this is just a tactic, tell them to sue you and you will see them in court. You could pay the hospital, either the whole amount or a negotiated discount (I would offer 20% to start), and then sue them in small claims court for the payment amount since that is the cost of your loss since they did not forward the medical records in a timely fashion.

To be clear, you're suggesting 20% of the total, meaning telling them, "I can pay you $320"? Not 20% off the top, i.e. $1280.

Quote from General Ghoul : Or you could do nothing. They did ding your credit, and it will hurt you for a while, but they, by law, only have 4 years to collect on that debt, as long as you do nothing and do not allow them to start over by discussing that debt with them. I would also google search fighting collections, I know there are some great forums that tell you how to fight them, and I know there are people out there that make a living by suing debt collectors for harassing them.

This is the part I'm most fuzzy about. I was aware there was this time limit. After the four years, is the debt just forgiven? What happens to my credit rating? Does it go back up slowly? Does this incident drop off?

Something does seem weird about waiting it out and winning just by doing nothing, but I'm open to options.

Quote : You need a detailed bill (it will be lengthy) from the hospital. Unfortunately with insurance they may only cover the cost of one test - presumably the first set run by the specialist.

I did get insurance involved (they were cc'ed on everything) but according to my plan, they covered everything they're going to cover.

Quote : Good luck. Since it's gone to collections, I would only deal with the hospital on the billing side. Get a copy of the bill - down to the last pill she took. If you are able to reach a settlement with the collectors, get everything in writing before you pay.

Not clear what you meant by "only deal with the hospital on the billing side" since you seem to be suggesting: just negotiate with the collections agency.

Bottom line (or my new big question): should I call the collections agency and haggle? Or should I wait it out 4 years? (Which is now about 2.2 years anyway.)

Anyone have any definitive info (or links) on how my credit rating will affect me during the 4 years, and what will happen to it afterwards? As stated previously, I have excellent credit (buy most things except real estate in cash, and have no plans to buy real estate in the next few years), so it's not like I *need* sterling credit anyway.

Quote from altoidboy : Really appreciate the input. Got the itemized bill already, but it's meaningless to me. We never found out why the records never arrived. At this point, the date of those maybe-never-transferred records is 2 years in the past -- Something does seem weird about waiting it out and winning just by doing nothing, but I'm open to options. I did get insurance involved (they were cc'ed on everything) but according to my plan, they covered everything they're going to cover. Not clear what you meant by "only deal with the hospital on the billing side" since you seem to be suggesting: just negotiate with the collections agency. Bottom line (or my new big question): should I call the collections agency and haggle? Or should I wait it out 4 years? (Which is now about 2.2 years anyway.) Anyone have any definitive info (or links) on how my credit rating will affect me during the 4 years, and what will happen to it afterwards? As stated previously, I have excellent credit (buy most things except real estate in cash, and have no plans to buy real estate in the next few years), so it's not like I *need* sterling credit anyway.

I'm not sure how medical debt affects your credit score. It's kinda gray area. When you deal with the hospital, you won't haggle the final bill with them. You will only collect information (like the final, itemized bill) from them. The hospital is out of the picture - you will now deal directly with the collection agency.

I have seen people take half off a hospital bill. You could start very low - like 20 or 30% of the total bill. You owe 1,000 bucks. You offer 200 to start and work your way up. I would shot for $500 or $600 as the limit. (or 50 to 60%) The collection agency wants something. If you say you're considering bankruptcy or writing off the debt, it may help your cause of settling at a lower amount.

When you finally reach an agreement (if you do), this is where you must be very careful with collectors. They can try to pull a fast one. They will take the money and then say there was no agreement. Get everything in writing first and make sure it is clear that the debt is final and will paid IN FULL with your payment of (agreed amount).

Send everything certified and keep copies. Use a check or money order (again keep copies). I would keep these copies (at least until the right to collect is over and then some). Collections keep creeping back and trying to get the rest of the bill. It's a stupid game they play...unfortunately some folks fall for it, even after the debt is no longer collectible.

It's been 2+ years since you got the debt. And General Ghoul is saying it's 4 years til they can't collect. I might wait for his response on that.

If you have the money and you think it's the right thing to do, I would call the collection agency and make an offer - However, you may start the process over - it may be another 4 years that they can contact you. I'm not sure.

Since the hospital acted in good faith and the doctor needed the tests run, I might consider making an offer. It's sounds like a serious of mistakes - not receiving the records, etc. that were made.

If you owe $1600, I might start at $400 (General Ghoul says around 320 - or 20%). I won't go over the amount you set (say $700 or $800). You can set the amount anywhere you want. Just stick to that amount. The collectors will try to get as much as they can. They will guilt you and possibly treat you like crap. Be prepared. Set your amount and stay with that. Then get everything in writing first. Don't fall for - We must have payment today and we need a credit card - it's a lie and they are using it to get your info. Can you tell I know someone who worked at a call center?

Sounds to me like you are disputing whether you owe the bill. Stick to your guns and tell them to prove it. I'd personally tell them to sue me and not to call again unless it was an attorney calling. If/When they do, show up to court with your ducks in a row and dispute it. If they set the court location outside where you live, ask the court for a change in venue so you can show up. This is a favorite trick of collection attorneys. Also they rarely show up, they will send their defense in writing which will be in the form of the bill, so make sure you prepare a LOT of questions so you can ask, but no one will be there to answer (defend) them.

Contrary to popular belief, it is not a crime not to pay your bills.

Of course it would be easier to just settle. Start very low as mentioned like 10%.

It seems to me that the pregnancy specialist who didn't forward the records should be responsible for the costs of the tests that had to be redone. Of course, proving that they were requested and paid for and not sent might be an issue.

As to the idea that the collection agency paid pennies on the dollar for this debt--don't bet on it. It is a very real possibility you're not dealing with an agency separate from the hospital. There are several hospitals that I personally know of that have their own "collection agency," different name from the billing department and hospital, but still owned by that hospital/chain of hospitals.

Quote from dealgate : Sounds to me like you are disputing whether you owe the bill. Stick to your guns and tell them to prove it. I'd personally tell them to sue me and not to call again unless it was an attorney calling. If/When they do, show up to court with your ducks in a row and dispute it. If they set the court location outside where you live, ask the court for a change in venue so you can show up. This is a favorite trick of collection attorneys. Also they rarely show up, they will send their defense in writing which will be in the form of the bill, so make sure you prepare a LOT of questions so you can ask, but no one will be there to answer (defend) them. Contrary to popular belief, it is not a crime not to pay your bills. Of course it would be easier to just settle. Start very low as mentioned like 10%.

It's been 2+ years. Odds are they would have taken them to court by now. And they could try to dispute the case but unfortunately they had the tests redone. The hospital (who didn't get the records and needed the tests) performed a service that costs money. $1600 seems a bit high so it would be easier to settle. 10% seems a bit low but it could be a starting point.

Quote from TheWoman : It seems to me that the pregnancy specialist who didn't forward the records should be responsible for the costs of the tests that had to be redone. Of course, proving that they were requested and paid for and not sent might be an issue.

That's the problem. OP doesn't have any proof. He paid in cash and there are no records that connect the specialist to this case. The hospital and the new doctor didn't have the records - wife was pregnant and the new doctor (or midwife practice) needed that information. They asked the wife to redo the tests - since someone at the specialist's office dropped the ball or the records were lost in the dark hole of hospital bureaucracy. It happens.

The hospital acted in good faith. They asked the patient's permission for the tests. They ran the tests, paid the staff to take the labs and run them. I don't see how the hospital is at fault. They are out the money they spent on this woman and her lab tests.

Quote from StrawberryWine : As to the idea that the collection agency paid pennies on the dollar for this debt--don't bet on it. It is a very real possibility you're not dealing with an agency separate from the hospital. There are several hospitals that I personally know of that have their own "collection agency," different name from the billing department and hospital, but still owned by that hospital/chain of hospitals.

Very true. StrawberryWine could be right. You could ask for a supervisor (probably just another customer service rep) and see if you could make an offer. I think it's the right thing to do since it's not the hospital's fault and you can't prove the request (or lose) of the records.

How much did the insurance pay on the first set of tests? I'm sure it wasn't $1600. That could be a fair price to pay. It's what the insurance company paid for the specialist for the initial set of tests.

Pay your bills, deadbeat!

Have you checked your credit score it is possible they have just written the debt off as bad and been done with it. As has been stated some places that have a lot of debt tend to have in house collections.
I would double check the laws in your state and wait them out.

http://www.medicalbillingschool.o...-practices


http://www.foxbusiness.com/person...cal-bills/

http://www.dailykos.com/story/200...y-help-you


http://answers.yahoo.com/question...115AABvqLj

1.) Pay your effing bill

2.) Sue the dickhead specialist