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RE: Medical bills - 8/5/2008 9:42:22 AM
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GregandJenny
Posts: 620
Joined: 2/16/2006
From: Near Seattle Washington
Status: online
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quote:
it you take the time to answer the lawsuit and deny the charges
Whether they did something illegal or not it's still dishonest to lie or be a deciever.
G
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RE: Medical bills - 8/5/2008 9:30:05 PM
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relady
Posts: 1287
Joined: 4/11/2005
From: Greater St. Louis Metro
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quote:
Whether they did something illegal or not it's still dishonest to lie or be a deciever. Not if they are making allegations that are not true. There is nothing dishonest in using the tools available to oneself to keep a company honest or risk losing some of the money they so badly desire.
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RE: Medical bills - 8/6/2008 12:24:45 AM
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GregandJenny
Posts: 620
Joined: 2/16/2006
From: Near Seattle Washington
Status: online
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quote:
I ALWAYS dispute ANYTHING that makes it to a collection agency. Even if I know I owe it. I will speak to them once, tell them I have no idea what the item it
^^^
That's deceiving
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It does not have to be well with my circumstance to be well with my soul!
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RE: Medical bills - 8/6/2008 5:47:34 PM
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relady
Posts: 1287
Joined: 4/11/2005
From: Greater St. Louis Metro
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It may be, but it seems to be the only way I can get them to send me a paper bill, otherwise they just try to get me to give them my debit card number or my checking account numbers so they can empty my account. If you think that's wrong, so be it. I don't. I call it protecting myself under the law. Sometimes that's the only way a consumer can get some "breathing" room and not have the phone ringing literally 25 times a day. They know the only way that you actually protect your rights under the law is to do so in writing -- so they don't like to send out bills. I actually had one tell me outright that they don't send statements. LOL, who's doing the deceiving? Third party collection agencies are bottom feeders and they often break the law. Apparently you think this is ok for them to do if you happen to actually owe the money? Or am I misunderstanding?
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RE: Medical bills - 8/7/2008 12:38:17 AM
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crownlaurel
Posts: 72
Joined: 2/15/2007
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I have never had to dispute a bill or lie to the collector in order to get a written statement. I simply tell them I do not give any personal or financial information or deal business by phone and their correspondence with me will have to be by mail or that I will deal only with the original company. I won't even "verify" an address or phone number other than to say yes or no. If I owe a debt, I pay the original debtee. If anything I have owed has reached collections, it is either because I contacted teh company and tried to work out something because I couldn't afford to pay or because I disputed a charge and they sent it to collections. I have found that very few bills ever reach collections if you remain in contact with those you owe and make an effort to make some sort of payment. I recently paid off a medical bill from over a year ago that never left the doctor's billing dept...because I stayed in touch.
Also, with hospital bills, even if you have insurance, some hospitals will work with you on your portion. After dh's botched vasectomy and my mother's death, the hospital and several doctors either lowered the charges or completely wrote them off after we explained our circumstances, but if we'd just remained silent, we would have gone to collections.
I hope you're able to get it straightened out.
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RE: Medical bills - 8/7/2008 12:55:57 AM
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cynthia
Posts: 7977
Joined: 3/31/2005
From: Beautiful Puget Sound Region
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I agree that lying is not necessary. It is also against tos to suggest it.
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RE: Medical bills - 8/7/2008 12:30:28 PM
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GregandJenny
Posts: 620
Joined: 2/16/2006
From: Near Seattle Washington
Status: online
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I knew there were honest people here in WA  .
G
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It does not have to be well with my circumstance to be well with my soul!
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RE: Medical bills - 8/7/2008 12:47:10 PM
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GregandJenny
Posts: 620
Joined: 2/16/2006
From: Near Seattle Washington
Status: online
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I lived in Moses Lake for a whopping 4 months and it was just to hot! But I have a cousin there so it's nice to visit.
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It does not have to be well with my circumstance to be well with my soul!
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RE: Medical bills - 8/7/2008 12:49:28 PM
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Jenny-Fair
Posts: 6288
Joined: 4/11/2005
From: WA
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It is hot here. But I would never live in Moses Hole...Lake.
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Ziva: It is possible. I do not remember all their names.
My Blog
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RE: Medical bills - 8/10/2008 12:54:35 PM
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stellaluna
Posts: 4261
Joined: 4/11/2005
Status: online
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quote:
ORIGINAL: GregandJenny
quote:
I ALWAYS dispute ANYTHING that makes it to a collection agency. Even if I know I owe it. I will speak to them once, tell them I have no idea what the item it
^^^
That's deceiving
Collection agencies are a peculiar breed of business. Again, I don't think anyone in this thread would deny that Jenny-Fair should pay what she owes. To whom she pays and under what circumstances are the things that are up in the air.
The fact of the matter is that there are many many collection agencies that unscrupulous in trying to collect debts. The fact of the matter is also that despite your best efforts, sometimes a debt will go to a CA.
In my own case, for example, an accounting error at my doctor's office allowed a false claim of debt to be sold to a CA. Despite my efforts and my doctor's efforts, the CA refuses to remove the notation from my credit reports. I have an amount that I never owed reporting as a paid collection. My doctor is now trying to help me dispute it with the credit reporting agencies to get it removed. One already removed it, one is considering it, one refuses to budge.
Also in my own case, a hospital bill that was written off by a hospital during a time I had no job or insurance was actually sold to a CA. This was nearly seven years ago, so it should be falling off my CR in a few months. I disputed it and was told it was valid, even though I have the paperwork saying the debt was written off by the hospital and I owe nothing. I refused to pay it and I've been fighting over it ever since. Guess what? Now the hospital says I owe them the money and the paperwork I have saying the debt was written off has magically disappeared from my hospital account records. They decided I owed it after having a procedure there last year that was paid for by insurance. I still refuse to pay it, because if I give anyone even a dime at this point, the seven-year period is renewed and it starts all over.
Furthermore, HIPAA DOES NOT ALLOW your medical information to be given to a third party without your express consent. If a healthcare provider turns over any of your personal medical information as part of debt collection, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO PAY THE CA!!! You can, however, force the debt back to the original creditor and pay them. This is not unscrupulous or lying. What relady described is the common way to FORCE the CA to prove they are allowed by law to collect. If they are, pay them. If they are not, you can pay your doctor or other provider. And trust me--there are plenty of providers that will get tired of not getting their whole amount paid off, give up and turn your account over to collections, just to get rid of it. I know of a dozen people IRL who were paying on medical bills that suddenly ended up in collections. There are many more horror stories online, if you care to look for them.
Some of this depends largely on which state you are in and the laws governing CAs in that state. If a CA tries to collect money from you, you have to educate yourself on the laws in their state, the laws in your state, what they're allowed to collect, etc.
This just isn't a black and white issue, sorry. And in this day and age, you have to stay on top of your CR, make sure no one is using your information, make sure all the information is correct and up-to-date, etc. There's no one else looking out for you. A bad CR can keep you from getting a job, a place to live, a car, a loan...
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Who should be allowed to attend church?
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RE: Medical bills - 8/12/2008 2:43:43 AM
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yoshibob
Posts: 3
Joined: 8/12/2008
Status: offline
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I agree that dealing with the aftermath of a medical emergency can be a nightmare. I've been living it since May last year. I was working 2 part time jobs, neither of which provided any kind of benefits. I had private medical insurance, but the premiums kept going up, to the point I could no longer afford them. About 5 months after I cancelled the insurance, I ended up in the hospital for 8 days, fighting for my life. I ended up with $41,000 in medical debt from 7 medical entities. As soon as I was able, I sent letters to each, explaining when I would be returning to work, how much I could pay each month and how soon I would be able to begin making the payments. I was off work for 2 months and received no paychecks during that time (no work, no pay). We lived off our small savings account and the kindess of church family, relatives and friends. Each of the entities requested financial statements, which I provided. One of the bills (about $3000) was paid by a charitable organization associated with the provider. The hospital discounted my bill 100% (the biggest at $26,000) after 5 months. Of the remaining 5, only 2 gave me any trouble. Every couple of months, these 2 will call or send a letter, threatening to turn the accounts over for collection. I talk to them when they call and file the letters in my file cabinet and wait for the next round. In the meantime, they cash my checks like clockwork. Out of the 3 who have never harassed me in any way, one of them recently turned my account over for collection. Since I started making payments to them 14 months ago, I have never missed a payment, and this is what they've done with no notice or warning of any kind. Now, I'm having to put up with a pushy collection agent. I can hold my own. I don't have a problem with getting right back in her face when she starts pushing. It's just one more stress factor I really don't need right now.
You're on the right track in dealing with your issues. I know it's hard. We struggle every month financially. I am so tempted to walk away from the medical debts and use the money I pay for other things. It's an on-going struggle that I have to pray about each month when I'm paying the bills. It's also an exercise of faith to know that God will provide our needs, even when there's very little money left over to see us through to the end of the month. The Lord will help you and give you peace about it, if you'll let Him. I don't always do that, and that's when I can feel the stress. When I do let the Lord have control, the peace is so wonderful.
Love and hugs to you, my friend.
Lynette
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RE: Medical bills - 8/13/2008 1:23:44 AM
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relady
Posts: 1287
Joined: 4/11/2005
From: Greater St. Louis Metro
Status: offline
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quote:
You can, however, force the debt back to the original creditor and pay them. This is not unscrupulous or lying. What relady described is the common way to FORCE the CA to prove they are allowed by law to collect. If they are, pay them. If they are not, you can pay your doctor or other provider. Thanks for clarifying. I am sorry if I led anyone to believe that LYING is ok. What I said was DISPUTE the bill. It is the only way that you can protect your rights under the law and it has to be done in writing. All a dispute does is force them to prove that you owe the bill. You are actually disputing their right to collect, not necessarily that you owe the money to someone, somewhere. There is nothing underhanded nor deceitful about that. I think every collection agency should have to prove that they have right to collect and should be able to prove that you owe the bill. If they can't, then they don't get paid until they do. I don't feel that is underhanded or decitful at all. It is simply protecting your rights -- which, as has been pointed out, no one will do if you don't.
Best of luck to all of you with your various medical bills. I am fortunate that I don't have major medical issues, and I thank God for my good health every day.
Take care, all.
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