Overdue Medical Bill
Upon returning home from our vacation last week, we were greeted by a 'seriously overdue' medical bill stemming from one of my kids' visits to the doctor a few months ago. Somehow this bill managed to slip through the cracks, and we were probably about a week away from having a $6.50 charge sent out for collection. What a bummer that would have been.
Anyway, I called the business office this morning and got everything taken care of. The frustrating thing is that this bill was from the same medical center where I had my wisdom teeth extracted, and they've been sitting on close to $700 of ours for the past seven months. But can I send their debt out for collection? No, of course not. I had to fight with them for months before they relented, and I'm now still waiting for the refund check. Very frustrating -- and because they bill for each patient separately, rather than having a single account for our family, this charge didn't just go against the credit that I've had on my account.
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"Overdue Medical Bill" was first published at fivecentnickel.com
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YES, you can send their debt out for collection. Individuals are not the only persons that do not pay bills; businesses don't pay bills also. Probably too costly for a $700 debt, but you can hire a collection firm to collect your debt.
A less costly route would be as follows (disclaimer, I'm not a lawyer):
- Draft a letter asking for your $700 to be returned in 30 days or you will begin legal proceedings. Pay a process server ($25 in my state) to deliver it and provide delivery confirmation.
- After 30 days, file a small claims court case ($75 in my state), suing for $700, interest & attorney fees.
- Report them to your state Medical board, your state Consumer Affairs department and any local consumer protection agencies in your county.
