Difficult/triggery financial situation

[whiteraven]

So, I finally open mail that's been sitting on my table for a week, and apparently the hospital sent my past due bill to a collection agency. Again. No, wait. There's a story.

I have a number of past due bills with this place. Several are already part of a payment plan I was paying on monthly. Then 3 came up that I asked to be added to that payment plan, but they refused to, because doing so would extend payments beyond their timeline (whatever that is). This hospital system is HUGE and has a monopoly in our area. It's always adding on units and building new stuff in the region, and right now, it's not allowing other hospitals into the state, because it doesn't want to lose the business. I hate this place.

So, they sent one of the larger bills to an agency and I complained because they originally told me they'd just add it to my monthly payment. They cancelled it, but then told me in email that they had increased my monthly payment fourfold. Well, I can't ****ing afford that. So I called them and told them so. The woman I talked to told me to fill out an application for financial assistance. Which I did, and I included 3 accounts on it. The total is about $600.

The application is currently pending. The agreement is I will still get statements while it's pending. No big deal. So last week, I get a letter from a collection agency that 2 of the bills on the application have been turned over to them. !!!!!!! And then today, I get a letter from another that the other has been turned over to another.

I just can't fight with these people anymore. As it stands now, I have my phone turned off because I'm getting calls several times a day about bills and I just can't deal with them. I sent a cease and desist letter for the first two bills at the end of the week. But that was just the one company. Every time I get a letter or a bill or an email, I want to cut. Sometimes I do. I really just want it all to be over. This is not a life. And I can't get help, because it all just costs more money, and I can't afford to pay anybody, and I can't afford to deal emotionally with not being able to pay.

I really am trying to work things out, but it feels like they are just pushing and pushing and pushing and waiting for me to go over the edge.

 

[VioletButterfly]

Step one - Breathe. Overlapping mail is to be expected. I can't tell you how many times I've dealt with insurance companies/facilities/providers for myself and my mom when this has played out. Even the reps on the phone tell you to disregard intermittent mail, so don't stress on this aspect of the situation.

Step two - Contact the insurance company to ensure that what the facilities/providers are requiring you to pay is/are the correct amount(s). Often times, their pay cycles get out of sync. I had one of our major facilities, owned by the major hospital system in our area, to robo call me regarding an unpaid balance on a diagnostic procedure I'd had done there. They were horrible and hateful, and relentless. Well, I called the insurance company who explained they were between billing cycles and per the contract with the facility, it was not to have contacted me. So, she conferenced in the collection department of the facility and read them the riot act. No more calls. Make sure what you are being billed is correct.

Step three - Go ahead and call an attorney in your area who offers free consultations via phone and see what he/she would suggest with only $600 being on the table and your being in a financial position to where you cannot afford this. If need be, you can also look for an attorney who will offer an in-office free consultation so that you can show him/her all of the documentation you have and walk through it. Go for big firms that specialize in medical billing issues. Be sure to ask about fees for services if you feel that you will be going forward. Don't sign anything with these attorneys until you are ready to move forward.

Step four - Call the collection agency back and share the advice from the attorneys. With the total bill being only $600, what they are doing seems above and beyond, and ridiculous, if not illegal harassment. See if you can reason with them, especially with the financial assistance document pending. If they are stone cold, turn back to the attorneys.

I'm hoping others will offer some advice here, but this is what I've experienced and seen played out. I know these people can be intimidating and even ugly. Don't delete any of the messages from your phone and keep all bills/correspondence. Hang tough and just walk through it. Best to you. VB

 

[whiteraven]

Thank you, @VioletButterfly.

 

[VioletButterfly]

You're welcome. I hope it all works out for you sooner rather than later. I just got a collection notice today on behalf of my mom's estate. Lovely! :rolleyes:

 

[Justmehere]

Look up information on the "Fair Debt Collection Act." You actually have a right to have the phone calls stop if you tell them clearly to stop calling you and send everything via postal mail. If they continue to call after making the request they stop, they could be in serious trouble with the Feds.

It's good to write the hospital and collection agencies and create a paper trial anyhow. Notify everyone you will use your rights under the fair debt collection act, and they might sit up straighter and handle this better.

I'm so sorry you are going through this.

 

[VioletButterfly]

@Justmehere - Thank you for adding those notes; I've jotted them down. I thought there was legal protection out there, but couldn't remember the name of the act/law. I second the pro-active paper trail suggestion! :tup:

 

[Beemo3780]

If you can, record the phone calls with the collection agencies. Make sure you tell them to no longer contact you and have that recorded. This helps because you can file a complaint with the BBB and the FCC.

I've been in your shoes when I was drowning in debt myself at one point. Just try to remember that it is just money, they can't really do much when you don't have the money to pay. Take care of yourself, make sure you have your main bills paid (housing, utilities, food), and then pay the medical bills whatever you can.

 

[whiteraven]

Thank you everybody. I kind of forgot about this thread, not because it's not an issue anymore, but because I've entered a kind of constant dissociated state and bills don't live here with me. :unsure:

 

[whiteraven]

Ok, got some good news on at least some of this Saturday. The hospital forgave 3 of the bills, which is close to $1000, for hardship. That means at least two of the debt collectors go away. This is a huge relief. I still have a bunch of others to deal with, but I'm breathing a little easier right now. :-)

 

[VioletButterfly]

@whiteraven - Great news! :) Hoping the remainder will resolve for you sooner rather than later.

 

[Changing4Best]

As long as you are making some kind of payment on each bill each month, they cannot, to my knowledge, take you to court. Medical stuff comes up unexpectedly. It is not a usual bill. It is something that they have to accept you to pay off in small increments over a longish period of time. They are used to this. But they also know how to put on the pressure, because they want their money and they want it "Now!" That does not mean they will get it now. They cannot "draw blood from a stone" as the old saying goes.

I have a friend whose brother was in the hospital after a car accident for something like a YEAR! He owes over one million in hospital bills. On some of them he only pays ONE PENNY per month and there is not a single thing they can do about it. He is making a monthly payment and cannot be taken to court, period.

So relax. Change your phone number, if you need to, because you need to stay in touch with the folks who calm your spirit and care for you. Give them your new phone number, and not the hospital or bill collectors.

And good luck!

 

[whiteraven]

As long as you are making some kind of payment on each bill each month, they cannot, to my knowledg...

This has not been my experience. What happened with the hospital was, since I was not able to pay their minimum payment on a monthly basis to pay off my balance to meet their time line (to pay it off by a certain date), they sent the entire balance to collections (they actually sent 3 accounts to 3 separate collection agencies). Had I not been so aggressive with the collection agencies, they could have garnished my wages - someone I know of has been in the same situation, and they actually took her to court to do that very thing. And we are not talking a lot of money here, nor are we talking about bills that are being ignored.

I am just thankful I was angry enough to push them on this. Otherwise, I'd be screwed.