Can a debt be sent to collection although you are making payments?

Question

I have a bill for a hospital that I still feel insurance should have paid but since the doctor involved said it wasn't medically necessary (ER and it was necessary - but I'll leave that alone for now) insurance refused to pay despite appeals from personal internist and myself. So now I had a bill for 800 from them. I tried to pay the $30/mo that they agreed me to (I didn't agree or sign anything because it is more than I could afford on disability) but in the past few months other more pressing bills (along with a bounced check) occurred. In good faith I paid $10/month. They say I agreed to a contract to $30/month (which I didn't) and sent it to a collection agency which I heard from today. Can they do that although I was making an effort to pay? I was always told that if you were paying anything that they couldn't do that. I actually don't care what they do as long as it doesn't affect my credit. What is this going to do to that? Unfairly I think!

Answer 1

in short u gotta pay. not being mean, but what u think is fair or unfair is irrelevant, it's all based on agreements, contracts and obligations i.e., insurance co-pay policy and what's covered. the hospital making a good faith effort to recovery their money. you said u would pay x amount and once u didn't then that was a violation, sorry, the way the law and works. simple contract law 101.

i tell my friends save your concept of fair 4 some 1 else, talk 2 me about what was said, what were the terms, guidelines, is there a loophole, what is written, the facts of deal because that is how u will be dealt with not yo feelings.

Answer 2

I think you would benefit from reading this: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer...

They do have the right to send it to collections if the terms are not met.  If it is early on (a warning from the collections agency) then you may be able to still deal with the hospital directly.  It is also not unheard of to ask for a discount (especially if you don't have insurance).

Answer 3

It is not unfair for the hospital to want their money; they were there for you when you needed them, you need to go after the insurance but at the same time you need to keep your word on the payment amount.  Regardless of how you receive your money, doesn't mean you shouldn't pay, you agreed and the reason you wouldn't sign is  not a good reason.

Hope you will not need them soon, they could reject you.

any time you don't pay the amount due you are ruining your credit.

Answer 4

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Answer 5

Then you do care, and you should, because this could possibly affect you in the future.  So, you would want to get this resolve as soon as possible.

Yes although you said you didn't agree in writing, this is the amount they ask for, and this is the amount you have been paying up until you defaulted.  It is not correct that they can't go after you if you are making a payment.  If that were true, any and everybody could and would do it.  I am sorry, but it is fair, and obviously they have been tryng to contact you before sending it to collections  Once you default on an agreement, or less say non-agreement, once you don't pay (period) they have the right to collect in anyway that is legal.  Now this is going to hit your credit, so if you can it would be good if you could resolve this.  If you can, if you were having problems and couldn't afford to pay due to illness, I would contact the original creditor/hospital/ombudsman, and see if they can help.  But, I don't think this is possible now since, this account has already went to collections.  So, maybe you can work something out with the collections agency again, and just tell or explain to them what is going on.

Answer 6

Yes, they can do that and they do it often.  They can also report it to the credit bureaus and it could negatively effect your rating.

Why were the claims denied, how long ago, I might be able to help if it's not too old.