I owe a 3500 dollar medical bill

[shadowknows69]

and was just told by the collection agency that they couldn't accept anything less than 300 a month. So now they're going to garnish my wife's wages even though that would probably put us in the streets and when I called back and asked them to send me something in writing saying that they refused any other payment I was basically hung up on. Maybe I should have mentioned I'm trying to get some psyche help so I don't go postal and kill people like these vultures. This bill isn't even 6 months old yet either.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

1. They Have To Get A Court Order To Garnish Your Wages

I think they're bluffing...

I'll wait for an attorney to chime in...

[etherealtruth]

2. Offer them what you can afford ....

$50 /month $30/month ... whatever ... put your offer in writing and let them refuse you (they won't). It will not bode well for them if THEY declined to accept a reasonable payment plan.

[ChazII]

15. You're correct --

I am in a similar situation and I have insurance. I talked to the hospital and they are willing to accept a monthly payment. In my case $200 a month.

[sam sarrha]

35. in WA if you make a payment of good faith.. $20 or $50 BY CHECK, and they return it you dont owe

them anything

[madokie]

3. good luck

[thoughtanarchist]

4. Don't give them anything. Blow it off.

If you pay they can continue to harass you forever. If you blow it off successfully for a certain amount of time they cannot legally keep going after you.

Also, there are certain legal situations where if you are low on the income scale you cannot be held legally responsible for medical bills.

[Warpy]

11. BAD idea!

Hospitals will get paid, and they've been known to jail people who have skipped payments.

The suggestion to submit a payment plan in writing is a good one, just retain a copy of the letter. Then make sure you pay every month.

Also, consider asking the hospital if they have any sort of a sliding scale for medically indigent patients.

Hospitals know they can't get blood out of a stone. However, they will get what they can, any way they can.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

27. How Can You Jail Somebody For Missing A Payment?

I guess if there's fraud involved but we don't have debtor's prisons for folks that don't pay their bills...

[shadowknows69]

29. Wait for it

I'll call you when I get there because I'm sure I'm near the top of their list lol.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

30. Seriously

Unless it's fraud writ large the police are going to say it's a civil matter...

[Warpy]

33. It's been done.

That's all I know. I don't think they got away with it for long.

[Wiccan Warrior]

45. They can't jail you please

Debtors prison is gone.

[VP505]

5. You can

tell the collection agency to take a hike, here are links that could be helpful, You DO NOT have to deal with a third party collection agency, and you sure as hell don't have to allow them to harass you. http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/fdc.shtm :) http://www.cardreport.com/credit-problems/collection-faq.html

[sam sarrha]

36. and if you do everything correctly you can sue them for $50,000 if they contenue

[zabet]

6. They cannot garnish her wages..

without a court order. You can send them a letter stating that you
can afford $5, $10. to $20 a month. Include a check in this letter
as your first payment, if they cash it, they have accepted your terms
of payment.
You can also contact the medical facility and try to work out a payment
schedule with them instead of the collection agency.

If all else fails, tape their next phone call about refusing lesser payments
and get an attorney. If they refuse payment, well, you should not have to
pay at all.

[shadowknows69]

9. I called back and asked them to send me something in writing

that they refused my offer. That's when they got all fumble tongued saying "Well you haven't sent us an offer in writing yet so we haven't refused anything."

I told them I was refused verbally and if she would do it again I'd record it. That's basically when I got "Transferred" to a dead phone line.

[flyarm]

44. make sure you tell them you are taping their phone call!! eom

[shadowknows69]

7. calling legal aid on monday

I'm now seriously considering suing the hospital in question now because in all actuality they basically also refused me treatment on the night in question.

[VP505]

10. Hang in there,

debt collection is very stressful, especially when your trying to do all you can and they keep bugging you. Good luck and know that there are things you can do to keep them off your a**. BTW, be sure to tell Legal Aid that it an emergency, that way they will get you in quicker

[zabet]

20. That is one issue that pisses me off to no end!!!!!!

Recently, my daughter was sick and I went with her to the
ER. They would not even talk to her unless she had Insurance-
which she does with her job. They then proceeded to send her
to the "doc in a box" because the ER was so full. I asked the
receptionist if all these people waiting had insurance and she
proceeded to tell me, NO, the majoity of these people have no
insurance but, the county will pay their bill. In other words,
if you have a job or insurance - go to a doctor, the ER is for
the non-insured and the people on assistance from Social Services.
To make it worse, the 'doc in a box' sent her right back to the
ER because she needed massive anitibiotics that the PA could
not write for her without the hospital's approval.
It is a totally, effed up system. Even with insurance, her bill
was $372!!!!!! She is paying it at the hospital, $5 a month...
and they better not refuse it because she has her video phone
recording every time she makes a payment.

[kdmorris]

8. Can they garnish your wife's wages for your debt?

Collection agencies are blood-sucking scum.

I feel for you. I've had my share in the past of these leeches calling and telling me all kinds of untrue crap to get me to pay a bill. One of them told me I could be arrested for "breach of contract". I was too ignorant and poor at the time to realize that

a) You can't arrest someone for owing a debt, or we would have debtor's prison

b) The legal remedy for breach of contract is suing the person, not arresting them.

If you can afford to pay them anything, just start doing it. $10 a month... good enough. It proves you are trying to pay the debt. Here's more info on Unfair Collection Practices:

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/credit/fdc.shtm

Other than that, all I can say is: I feel for you! Do what you can. And here's a :hug: Whatever it is that you incurred that medical bill for 6 months ago, I hope it is healing or healed and that you will be well soon.

[blueknight]

13. NEVER,NEVER,

talk to them on the phone! tell them to send it to you in the mail. write back to them and send it certified mail, and ask them to PROVE YOU OWE THE MONEY! this is called DEBT VALIDATION! they could be adding additional charges. send them also, A CEASE AND DESIST LETTER,on the phone calls. tell them YOU WILL SUE THEM if they continue to call after the c&d letter. i have sued collection agencies before for violating the law, which is the "fair debts and collection practicing act" i have won over $4000.00 dollars. because collection agencies DONT KNOW THE LAW. go to a website called THE CREDIT INFORMATION CENTERS FORUM. good luck.

[kdmorris]

19. Did you mean to post this to me?

Or were you trying to post to the OP?

I don't talk to creditors anymore. I don't talk to collection agencies. And I know my rights now. In 2000, my husband and I finally had enough to buy a house and got a copy of our credit report. Mine was awful. I paid what I knew I owed and made them send me letters of payment. Stuff that shouldn't have been on there (a medical bill for my daughter when she was on Medicaid), I disputed and it was taken off. There were a couple of other bills that we didn't pay because the creditors went out of business. So, got it all cleared up and bought a house.

I actually know the laws now, so when a creditor called for my husband, saying he owed $1500 for some bill in 1992 (we still haven't verified they had the right person. It seemed more like a scam. They kept asking HIM to give his social security number so they could confirm it. When he refused, they kept calling. We eventually asked for an address so we could send them a letter to stop calling us and they just stopped calling. No address, no nothing.), we knew what to do.

It wasn't so easy when I didn't know the rules.

[madrchsod]

22. you too? ya that really pisses them off

nothing like making them put everything in writing...

[sam sarrha]

37. they will lie and do anything!.. one guy said he was a doctor and told a mother her son had a motor

cycle accident and had received the Last Rights.. and she need to get to the hospital RIGHT NOW.. she runs into the hospital and the collector stops her and says he wants the money..!!

find out if you can tape an "Incoming" call in your state and get a recorder if you can and tape everything.. you can sue them for doing some things illegally.. and pay off the bill with their money

[youngdem]

12. Just move to a state that doesn't allow garnishment, like Texas

Austin is a wonderful town. They can't garnish there.

Rent.

'Give' the car to a relative to title in their name, and pay the hospital whatever you can whenever you can. Maybe a penny a month. Maybe that will send them the message that being unreasonable won't do any good.

Change your number.

Sleep at night.

[shadowknows69]

18. Funny you should say that

Because the wife basically said. "Let's get some money and get the fuck out of this state"

I'm beginning to agree with her. Aye? how far did you say that house in Arkansas was from civilization?

[sam sarrha]

38. and you can carry a gun for just a minor fee...

[SoCalDem]

14. Go, in person..to the hospital..Talk to the patient advocate

and work out a realistic payment plan.. If that does not work, call the newspaper.. they love stories like yours..especially now.

Next time the collection agency calls, tell them you are recording their calls for your lawyer.. (they don;t have to know you don;t have one)

[sam sarrha]

39. dont tell them if it is legal to record incomming calls in your state, it is good evidence in court,

and it is a profitable law suit.. they will settle out quickly, and pay them off with their own money

[SutaUvaca]

16. Agreeing with other's suggestion..

.. put what you can do in writing to them and simply continue with it the best you can.
My own hospital bill is still $4800 after one year. I agreed to $100 a month but some months missed it and other months could only send $20 bucks.

Don't know what your state laws are but it does sound like a crap-load bluff to threaten to garnish the wages of your wife. How they gonna get anybody to sign off on such sh*t.

I'm unemployed myself, but there's two jobs I'd never take - running a router in a plastics factory, and collections.

[shadowknows69]

17. Great advice all. Stress crisis abating.

And I feel like a shitheel for ranting because there are a lot of DUers right now with much greater problems but these vampires just set me off today. Never talk to assholes before your meds lol. Thanks again DU for coming through.
S

[Clinton Crusader]

21. I sympathize, I owe $80,000+...

I haven't posted here since Dec. 8, 2006. I had just finished posting in a thread about John Lennon, when I got a call from Long Island, that my father had suddenly passed away. It's been a nightmare ever since.

Three months later I was diagnosed with cancer. I am considered disabled from an accident in 2000, but I never signed up for Medicare Medical, only hospital, because my spouse had insurance at work. I called in January 2007, to sign up, before I knew about the cancer, because I figured I'm gonna need this, as the other insurance had stopped.

They make you wait 6 months before you're 'in'. So I wouldnt get medical until July. In the meantime, I racked up over $80,000 in bills from cancer treatment and I havent even had surgery yet!!

I am living in fear of my life of losing our house. I tried everything to get help and was turned down by everyone, citing the fact they we make 'too much'. BELIEVE ME, we don't make anything near what you may be thinking - less than $50,000 a year, but that's too much to get any help. And what's worse, is the $80,000 only covers the HOSPITAL! I also get a dozen bills a month for the oncologist, radiation consult, CT scans, bone scans, ultrasound, cardiology, surgeon consult, on and on and on. Neulasta shots (the day after chemo to prevent infection) costs $8600 a pop!

I am trying to pay them off, but the second you're 1 minute late, they will be on you like white on rice. I've got myself in such a state, I now have to take Xanax because of panic attacks, which I never had my entire life.

I empathize with your situation. You need a lawyer, call Legal Aid, I don't think, but I may be wrong, they can attach your wife's pay, it's not HER bill. I learned this when my dad passed and left a horror show of credit card bills. BUT, they were in HIS name, so legally my mother was NOT resonsible for any of them. If your wife's name is not on the bills, she's not responsible. Remember, collection agencies will say ANYTHING. They were calling my mother, telling her she IS responsible for my father's bills, when it simply isn't so. They threatened her, called constantly, told her the police would be informed. They are a hideous subhuman lot, these collectors, they will say ANYTHING to scare the bejeezus out of you.

Good Luck.

[Bitwit1234]

23. I thought as long as you pay something--

anything they can't do anything to you. Talk to a legal aid lawyer. Send them 10 dollars if they accept -- you got em.

[TwilightGardener]

24. Have you tried one of those debt agencies (like consumer credit counseling)

that make arrangements for affordable repayment with your debtors? Usually this is a way to avoid declaring bankruptcy. You might give that a shot. Do not try to skip out on your bill by leaving--they'll find you. You must repay what you owe, there's no getting around that, but surely something can be worked out so that you can go on an affordable payment plan. As someone else suggested, you might arrange to speak to the hospital again. If all else fails, and you are truly in a bad spot and unable to pay your bills, you might consider filing for bankruptcy.

[lpbk2713]

25. Don't expect these vultures to tell the truth.

It's their job to get money out of you whatever way they can. They will make all sorts of ridiculous threats of legal actions against you but it's all just a scam and they know it.

[backscatter712]

26. Lawyer up.

If you can afford it, get an attorney. Next time the assholes call, give them your attorney's number, tell them all communications about this debt go to your attorney, then hang up.

Fuck medical debt. The U.S. is the only country in the industrialized world that doesn't provide universal health care. The fucktards in charge want us to be living in the world of Charles fucking Dickens.

[shadowknows69]

28. If I could afford a decent lawyer

I'd just pay the fuckers anyway lol. What a vicious fucking circle.

[backscatter712]

31. Hmm...

I'd say that get acquainted with the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.

The bastards can't garnish your wages unless they sue you first.

Also, I'd suggest going to a site like http://creditboards.com - they have a lot of people who can give you advise in working the system in your favor and knowing your rights.

Definitely do everything in writing. Certified mail, return receipt requested.

[Clinton Crusader]

34. Shadow, take it from someone going through it...

Talk to the hospital! Ignore the collection agency. Go to the hospital or call, speak to the patient advocate or billing dept., set up a payment plan. That's what I did, with an $80,000 bill!

Ignore the collection vultures....

[sam sarrha]

41. you can fire the agency, if you deal with them it goes on your credit record,, go to the source and

mail them a check, cert letter, return confirmation, if they send it back you got them, then go to a lawyer and you will have a hard case.. any lawyer will take

[antigop]

32. shadowknows69, I am very sorry we live in a country that allows this to happen to its citizens

Stories like yours really get me angry.

YOU DON'T DO THIS TO PEOPLE!

You shouldn't be treated this way.

I wish I could offer you something other than my sympathy and my support for universal healthcare.

I am truly sorry for your situation, and as an American, I am ashamed of this country.

[treestar]

40. Fair Debt Collection Practices Act

Contains many landmines for them.

Depends on the state, but getting a wage attachment can be complicated. There are also limits on wage attachments.

It could also take a long time.

Read up on the FDCPA - you could find that they violated it somewhere, giving you a claim against them which can help offset the debt.

Look at the state's law - some states may have limits on attachments of bank accounts and other assets may be exempted.

Don't transfer anything to a friend or relative - they can follow that and it's fraud. Many people think that it is a clever dodge, but it's been done before too many times and too long ago and the courts are hip to it and so are the laws - bankruptcy laws, for instance, attach great penalties.

[flyarm]

42. START SENDING 10 BUCKS A MONTH.... eom

[peacebuzzard]

43. Our health care/insurance system is corrupt inside and out.

And the biggest scam going in this country.

My bad dream is I have a group health policy which I have paid high employee premiums for and, now I am injured/disabled and off from work. It reverted to a COBRA insurance which then tripled in price. I am lucky enough to have savings, and a NY state disability policy (although, good luck trying to begin receiving your disability pay even if your doc fills out the forms saying you can't work).

Right now, this is my case where I have been home unable to work because of a physical disorder which limits my mobility, and I am at it full time filling out forms, going for therapy, chasing and playing phone tag with insurance companies that should have approved me by now (it has been 3 months).

Instead, I am facing a 400 dollar medical COBRA bill that is going to eat up my 401k savings. But if I don't pay it, and something gets worse, I have to fight the vultures then.

I am very mad at the system right now.

But for me, it is just a matter of time, these insurance companies are eventually going to have to pay, they know it, but these paper pushers I am in touch with are not facilitating anything. I am sure they have their usual routine to follow hoping that a percentage of claimants will simply give up because of the protocol bureaucracy they have to follow. Or, worse, the sick and injured realize they don't have the financial or psyche forces to endure and they drag their sick asses back to try to work rather than face loosing their homes.

This, our health care/insurance/AMA loop is very much NOT in the worker's favor for good health care. I certainly call it a big scale scam.

I wanted to watch SICKO this weekend, but it has moved on out of my town. I guess I will have to rent or buy the DVD.

[FooFootheSnoo]

46. I've dealt with lots of collection agencies

Not professionally, but personally. I was VERY irresponsible when I was young:blush: . Then, I got smart and got my credit straightened out. The second time I had massive medical bills from the very early birth of my daughter and could not pay them. I have been sued 2x. Here's what I have experienced. First of all, the collection agencies and their agents are very dishonest and will say anything if they think it will get you to pay the bill. (Let's face it, nice people with decent education aren't lining up to be bill collectors. Most of the collection agents are probably unskilled workers making a little above average and probably have 2 weeks training course on the law. Their their supervisors probably give them a quota and ride them mercilessly until they fill it. Don't be intimidated by collections agents.) Secondly it takes forver to get wages garnished. First, they have to sue you in court. They don't want to do that. It costs a lot to sue you which in the end takes away from the profit they make when you pay your bill. I think both times I was sued it took 3 years. The first time my paycheck was garnished. The second time I declared bankruptcy after being sued, so they didn't get their money even after going to court. That's another risk they have to look at. They can go to court and get a judgement. However, if you declare bankruptcy, then not only have they not recovered money from the debt, but they have lost even more from legal fees and attorney fees. Send the hospital whatever you can afford. Keep a record of the payments you have made. I wouldn't even try to work out a payment plan. They'll take whatever you send them. If they try to sue you, just bring in your record of payments. Any decent judge is going to see that your are trying to pay your bill in good faith. It's not like you went out and charged a new stereo on a credit card, this is a medical bill. I think there's also a cap on the interest that can be charged on medical bills. So, don't stress about this. Send the hospital a check and ignore the calls from the bill collectors.