hospital bill

[rmcnellis]

What is the name of your state? montana
I had a baby in april 04. the hospital did not send me a bill until october 04, at which time i began making installments on the balance my insurance did not cover. their first statement did not say i had to pay in full, nor did it say to contact them to make payment arrangements. the 2nd statement did not show the 1st payment i made even though my check had cleared 28 days before this 2nd statement arrived. the 2nd statement also said i now owed the money in full, which i could not do so i called and i got voice mail. i left amessage and no one called back. to this day i have called as they say to and left 4 vms, none have been returned. they say they have contacted me and i have ignored their requests for payment. i have been paying every month since the first statement came and have made a substantial dent in what i owe. the last statement i got, they say they are going to turn me over to a CRA or a law firm. can they turn me over to collection even though i have been paying all this time? they gave me 14 days to pay in full. if i have to i could probably come up with the money, but it would make things tight. i cannot reach them when i do as they direct and call. what do you recommend? thanks.

 

[djohnson]

They can turn any account over 30 days over to your credit. They can turn any account they want over to a collection agency. I don't think what you are doing is unreasonable and would not be worth the collection agencies time to pursue farther. They are probably just sending out standard letters that goes out to everyone and pay no attention if payments have been made or not. It's up to you if you want to try and come up with the money and pay it or not. I think since they are not answering your calls I would try sending them something certified explaining. Some hospitals are easy to work with and some won't budge. Good Luck