k2bdeutmeyer Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 After all of DH's unemployment and just barely making it as it is, I have had so many little (think less than $500 each) things go to collections that I want to cry. I'm tired of ignoring all out of state calls for fear of what it is. I'm tired of having crap for credit. I hate this. Anyway....in an effort to not have more stuff go delinquent, I want to try to clear up these medical bills from my surgery in April. I think I can take care of the largest one through the hospital by applying for financial aid. However, I still have some hefty bills from the doctor and anesthesiologist. Even if I call to make payment arrangements for as little as $25/month, that's still $50/month I can't afford. So....what do I do? I'm so tired of living this way. Sigh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ma23peas Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Go IN person to the hospital administrator, the administrator of the anethesiologist and any other person you can physically see about this...Take in your Tax returns to show your income, explain your debt to pay ratio...to give you encouragment!! Most if not all hospitals have a program where they 'write off' debts for some patients. My farrier's wife suffered a horrific kick from a stallion they were tending...total medical bills were $120,000!!! He is a very honest and hard working man, but with his career they would be paying well over $30,000 a year for coverage since his career is considered high risk. They had no insurance. He went to each of those listed above and explained how in the world could his wife be in the hospital for 3 days (pins and surgery related to 5 breaks in her legs) and the bill be over 100k...long story short, he was convincing and honest. He had to show is tax returns (hence why I said bring them) to the hospital admin...but they cut his bill down to ...wait for it....$11,000!!!!! He will have that paid off in a year!! He pays cash for everything, has no mortgage no car payments and is the most amazing farrier I know...sooo very proud of him for tackling the system! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy in NH Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 If the hospital sent the billing for the physicians, the hospital financial aid should cover them. Otherwise, pay what you can even it if is only $5-10 per month. Something is better than nothing until you get back on your feet and can pay more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MedicMom Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Just be aware that they can send your bill to collections, even if you have paid a small, agreed upon amount every month for years. This recently happened to me--I got a letter stating that the entire amount was owed immediately, it was sent to collections and an attorney who is trying to sue me now. I never once missed a payment and could prove it. My credit is barely measurable now, but my attorney told me it is legal to do that. I am now declaring bankruptcy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandy in Indy Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Have you applied for aid? Ten years ago my dh had to have heart by-pass surgery unexpectedly...and we were uninsured and self-employed. We were able to get temporary Medicaid (3 months or so) because of the high cost and our low income. It covered everything. I hated to do it, but there was absolutely no way we would EVER have been able to pay the bills. It's hard to ask, and it feels like they ask for SO much information. It's a humbling experience. BUT it was worth it not to have that hanging over our heads the rest of our lives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Princess Peach Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 Just be aware that they can send your bill to collections, even if you have paid a small, agreed upon amount every month for years. This recently happened to me--I got a letter stating that the entire amount was owed immediately, it was sent to collections and an attorney who is trying to sue me now. I never once missed a payment and could prove it. My credit is barely measurable now, but my attorney told me it is legal to do that. I am now declaring bankruptcy. I am sorry. :grouphug: The same thing happened to me, but the amount owed was small compared to many others, and I'm sure yours, although it was out of our budget to pay it. As soon as I got the collection letter, I called the hospital and paid the entire thing with a credit card. The payments were manageable and I didn't have to worry about creditors hassling me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alyeska Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 First, I would get a line-by-line itemized bill from the hospital and doctor's offices that you owe money to. They make a LOT of mistakes in billing. We owed over $3800 for a hospital co-pay on my son's surgery. They sent us a letter (never did receive a bill from them) saying they were sending it to collections if we didn't pay in a week. I called the head honcho at the billing department, she looked at our itemized bill and realized that we had been double billed for many items. We ended up not paying a dime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elegantlion Posted July 9, 2012 Share Posted July 9, 2012 It's been a while since we had to deal with this, but can you go back to the doctor and work with their billing. Don't discuss collections on the phone, remind everyone you need to do that in writing. That way everything you agree upon and they agree upon is written down. Don't let them corner you. Know the law, I haven't read it lately, but there are requirements on what collection companies are allowed to do. Also double check the bills from each collection company. Sometimes the bills will get sold to different companies on a regular basis. The company you agreed to do a payment plan with may sell the collection to another company, hence more letters and phone calls. :grouphug: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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