Is it true that if I make payments to a hospital account on time every month they cannot sell the account to a collection agency?
By 101abn from Huntsville, AL
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Companies and hospitals do sell delinquent accounts to collections agencies. I knew a fellow who was in that business for a while. Your best recourse to visit the accounting dept of the hospital and make arrangements to pay what you can afford every month. A relative owed a very large sum to the local hospital and they worked out a payment plan. She did get one call from a collection agency about the bill but no other calls after the payment plan was agreed on.
Companies sell delinquent accounts to collection agencies for as little as $.06 on the dollar. If you know what you're doing, and understand the Uniform Commercial Code, this is great. The collection agent is a third party and you have no contract with him. He cannot force you to pay unless you let him. Most will drop it if you ask for a copy of the contract that obligates you to him. Here is the key paragraph: "You have not provided any consideration to me and have not provided any performance to which I am indebted by an instrument that bears my signature pursuant to UCC 3-401(a).
could you repeatPlease this in English, I think it say " I'm not going to pay you any money because you haven't done anything for me" and what is the UCC 3-401 (a) Why do you say please exhibit the instrument that contains my signature obligating me to your demand under agreement see ucc 1 201 (3) Thanks
What if you don't have any mote money? I live on ssi sad which is lower than the poverty level. So sad!
They want more than I can afford to pay. and will not come down on amout
Wanted to let you know something I learned not long ago. Some hospitals will give you up to 20% off the bill if you pay the bill in a lump sum. I know not everyone can do this, but those of you who can, maybe the bill is 200 or so.
I've never heard of anyone selling accounts to collection agencies.
Please contact the hospital and talk with someone in the business office about a payment plan. If you make regular payments to pay off your bill they won't turn you over to collections.
I was making regular payment to a hospital from the beginning and was still turned over to a collection agency even after explain to them that I had recently been paid off and had just had a child. They do not care
It is a common practice for a creditor to sell a debt to another creditor, although I'm not sure about specifically collections agencies. When we've been paying well on our debt, we were sold to another creditor. It happens.
I live in WI and at one time years ago we had a substantial hospital bill. We did set up a payment plan with the hospital and even with paying on time, they still sent it to collections after 6 months I believe, and of course, went on our credit report.
I don't know what happens in your state though.
Good luck!!
You obviously are not going to get away making $2.00 payment on a $5,000.00 bill. The arrangements must be reasonable and made according to schedule. I worked in a hospital office for 31 years and I've seen accounts turned where regular payments were being made. You can't go out an buy a new car and make tiny payments and expect the hospital to wait for their money.
um acually, yes, you should be able to go buy a new car and make tiny payment on a hospital bill because hospital bills are OUTRAGEOUS and medical is way too expensive. Doctors wouldn't find it so hard to get paid if they weren't so greedy.
Thanks to you all. I called the hospital and worked out a payment arrangement agreement. So everyone was right!
Sure hope they stay with agreement and not turn over to collections anyway.
I've always been told that.also,most hospitals don't charge a interest payment either-so you are better off to make payments than you are to put the bill on a credit card.
LisaE2, you should have called the hospital to inquire why they sent it to collections.sometimes the computer generated bills are sold off and no one looks to see if you are making payments on time, just that the 6 mo period is up. They did that to me once years ago and when I inquired why they had done it, they looked at the bill and said it shouldn't have gone to collections.
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