georgeleo Posted July 19, 2008 Report Share Posted July 19, 2008 Thanks all for your answers, they are greatly appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NASCAR_Devil Posted July 19, 2008 Report Share Posted July 19, 2008 Hi all,Long story short, I went to the ER 2 years ago, got checked out, signed some papers, didn't receive any word or written letter stating I owed any money to them.Fast forward to 2 years later. Out of the blue, I get a bill from the collections agency saying I owe the hospital some money. Very fishy.I never received any bills or any letters from the hospital, at all. Nothing, nada, zero contact.What should I do to not pay this debt that I'm 99% sure I don't owe. (Unless there's some weird clause stating that I have 2 years to pay off a hidden debt they didn't mention.)Did you have insurance at the time? Did you receive any EOB's from the insurance company showing what they paid and your responsibilty? Has your address changed since your ER visit? I find it very fishy to think that an ER visit would be covered 100% and no communication to you in any form? Also, did you read the papers you signed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swirlgirl Posted July 19, 2008 Report Share Posted July 19, 2008 Did you ever follow up with the hospital when you didn't receive a bill. ER visits aren't usually free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveAR Posted July 19, 2008 Report Share Posted July 19, 2008 my girl has the same issues as you do. whats the status?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Nashville/Savannah Posted July 19, 2008 Report Share Posted July 19, 2008 Hi all,Long story short, I went to the ER 2 years ago, got checked out, signed some papers, didn't receive any word or written letter stating I owed any money to them.Fast forward to 2 years later. Out of the blue, I get a bill from the collections agency saying I owe the hospital some money. Very fishy.I never received any bills or any letters from the hospital, at all. Nothing, nada, zero contact.What should I do to not pay this debt that I'm 99% sure I don't owe. (Unless there's some weird clause stating that I have 2 years to pay off a hidden debt they didn't mention.)I don't know what makes you so sure you don't owe it...perhaps you don't but frankly, it's likely that you do owe it or at least some of what is being claimed. The situation you describe is, unfortunatly, not at all unusual...The medical industry is pathetic as far as it's billing practices go but unfortunately, you are responsible for following-up with the hospital/providers to make sure the bills were paid.I suggest you start the DV process (and I'd also suggest considering contacting the provider(s) directly) to obtain the informaion you need to know who you owe and how much and who has the right to collect.Once that is done, you can try to netotiate with the creditor and/or CA to get any negative data removed form your bureau reports (is there is any there) and reach a settlement amount.However, whether they are willing to remove negative tradeline or not, I suggest you do settle the debt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiblues Posted July 20, 2008 Report Share Posted July 20, 2008 First off, Rob_Nash is right about medical center accounting practices.also,Just because a debt is older doesn't make it invalidand it can still screw up your credit.Who is the OC?Who is the CA?What is the amount?Have they dunned you?Did they have a good address? ( I ask because if you moved neither theCA or the hospital could have effectively notified you in writing and you may have already been dunnedwithout your knowledge) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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