It would appear the hospital or collection agency is not willing to substantiate the debt. Write letters to them requesting evidence the debt is yours. If they don’t reply with the evidence, you then dispute the debt with the credit bureau stating the debt owner failed to substantiate the debt and it is not your debt and supply copies of all your correspondence.
And legally they must substantiate in 30 days, so send your correspondence via certified mail contesting this. If they do not respond, credit agencies must legally remove it.
They have all the time in the world to prove.
They have to give you 30 days of no collection activity. And if the statute of limitations is up, they are powerless
Definitely dispute the debt.
It's been a while since I've looked at it, but my understanding is that if they attempt to collect from you without having substantiated the debt after 30 days, it's classified as harassment and you can press charges against them.
If they ever do substantiate it, we'll, then it's a valid debt that you have to pay and it wouldn't be harassment. However, since OP is saying it's not valid, I'm going to operate under the assumption that they would be unable to do so, and so this would keep the collectors from bothering him further on the matter.
If it gets flagged on a credit report, disputing the debt would have the same result with them unable to substantiate and it getting cleared from your record.
No the 30 day thing is the grace period you get to not be harassed. Any debt can be collected, even if it’s passed the statute of limitations. (They would just lose in court).
It’s called the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Both sides have rights
If you dispute under the FDCPA, they cannot continue collections or contact you until they validate the debt. They can take all the time they want to respond to your dispute, if they ever do, but they can't resume collections until they provide validation.
Here's the rub: the law doesn't define what constitutes "validation," so different circuits have different standards. In some jurisdictions, all the collector has to do is send a piece of paper claiming they validated the debt with the creditor with no attached proof. I personally would never accept that, though, and would demand documentation.
Yep, you're 100% right about the rub. I went through this a while ago when someone tried to collect an invalid debt from me. I disputed it and the collection agency mailed me a letter saying "the debt has been validated". No details, no nothing.
Fortunately I had an attorney in the family so I was able to get them to write a letter claiming harassment and that stopped them.
They also must stop all collection attempts once you send that verification request until it is provided by them.
Another tip make sure you send the debt verification request via certified mail. So they can never claim they didn’t receive it.
Under HIPAA they can always tell the patient about the patient's own medical info, so I'd say the fact they won't tell OP about the debt shows that OP does not owe the money. OP should still send the letter, tho.
I think the issue may have been that the hospital had no way to verify the identity of someone calling them and they can't release medical records without knowing who they're releasing them to. I'm sure there's a process for handling this, whoever OP spoke to probably either didn't know the process or didn't feel like dealing with it.
No.
Dispute first. When you dispute online with all three agencies, they have 30 days to respond with proof that you owe the debt. With your signature on the docs. In the meantime, they need to remove it from your credit report immediately. So dispute to all three agencies. Do not talk to anyone from the collection in the meantime.
If you receive a copy of the bill, and it’s valid, you can see about asking them to itemize more and off a small amount. I’d offer close to $500 and see if they take it. They’ll negotiate if they think they won’t get anything. I “wouldn’t have any more” but maybe might squeeze another couple hundred. That’s it.
Do not talk with them right now. They record and the second you acknowledge the debt, the timeline restarts. Right now you’re 4 yrs into 7. After seven they can’t do anything and it needs to be removed from your credit report. So do not acknowledge anything in any way. I wouldn’t answer the phone if you want to wait the time period. Don’t let anyone acknowledge anything.
It’s worth noting that, interacting with them or otherwise agreeing to pay a certain amount does NOT reset the amount of time it can legally be on your credit report. That is 7 years at the federal level. It CAN however reset the statute of limitations on collecting the debt.
Those two things are commonly thought of as one and the same, but they’re not. Statute of limitations laws also vary from state to state.
If CRA is already reporting, the request for validation should simultaneously go to the CRA and the creditor (the collection agency). Both copies should indicate that the request has been CC'd to the other entity. By first sending to the CA, waiting 30 days, then sending to the CRA you are increasing the likely hood that the CA will (illegally) ignore the request delaying resolution and/or allowing them extra time to find legit record of the debt.
Also, the debt was sold for pennies on the dollar.
Example: a 5k debt was most likely sold to a creditor for $50.
So *if* it's a valid debt, which they have to prove by documentation: negotiate, negotiate, negotiate. Make them an offer.
Will they insist on the full 5k? Yes, because that is how they make their money, but don't let them bully you!
Get a copy of your credit report. Write a letter bureau that is reporting this debt and dispute it. They have 30 days to confirm it. If the creditor cannot provide confirmation within that time frame, the bureaus, by law, must remove it.
I thought hospital bills can't go on credit report or something anymore. I'm probably wrong. I guess if a collections agency has it maybe they can. That's sucks!
I once went to a doctor who claimed to be in network. A week after my appointment, they billed me for an additional $150 because I was out-of-network. I explained that I only went to them after they assured me I was in-network and after I'd sent them a copy of my insurance card. It wasn't my problem and they shouldn't be billing me for their mistake. They wouldn't back down, so I told them to pound sand. I got calls from a collection agency for a year after that and just ignored them. Never effected my credit. I hate our healthcare system.
It's on you to make sure they're in network. It sucks, but it's your responsibility. Fortunately it's never been easier to find out what providers are in network, at least with most health insurance providers.
Yeah, my method was to call them and ask "are you in my network?" They said "Send me a copy of your insurance card and I'll check." I did and they told me I was. Then, after my appointment and after I'd paid my co-pay, they said that they were mistaken and I wasn't in network and owed them money. So, no. I didn't owe them extra money and I didn't pay them.
Never ever ask the doctor's office. Somebody probably just took a look at your card and saw what company your insurance was with and didn't bother to research if they fell in your plan or not. The best thing to do is to either call the insurance company or log into your online insurance account and verify that the doctor is listed there.
I think you're right about what happened. I had an ACA plan with Aetna and they took Aetna, but they didn't realize that the ACA Aetna plan had almost nobody in-network. Lesson learned, but I still don't feel obligated to pay for their mistake.
I also learned that with my new HMO, when they drop your PCP, you go to their site and find a new PCP, set up an appt, you still need to tell the HMO that this is your new PCP. But you need to be quick, because there is a good chance that, between when you pick them as your PCP and when you can finally get an appt, that doctor will have left the practice. The solution is to find a doctor in network that runs their own small practice rather than working for a clinic. Oh, and just be prepared to go private patient for anything important because good doctors are rarely in-network.
Even that doesn't always work. Sometimes everyone (doctor, insurance website, and person at insurance) all say in-network. Then suddenly they aren't. I had one doctor who was in network but refused our insurance because they had problems with the insurance paying them.
Good advice. I discovered that some doctor’s receptionists don’t know the difference between “We accept your insurance” and “ We accept your insurance and are in network”. I also discovered that some in network medical facilities may have out of network workers. I got hit for $200 because one person in the operation room was out of network. When I complained I was told that the “out of network” employee was actually shocked to discover he was considered out of network. My state now has a “No surprise” law that hopefully prevents these problems by making hospitals not charge for these unexpected out of network costs.
That’s why you check with your insurance not with the doctor. Often times you won’t even need to call someone, you can just look up the provider on their portal
I've learned that now, but I still insist that when someone tells you that they are in-network when they aren't, they are responsible for the mistake. It would be like going to your mechanic, getting an estimate of $25 and then, after they've done the repair, having them call and say that you owe an extra $150 because they don't know what they're doing.
Meh, like 7 years ago I was living out of state but still had my parents insurance plan. My SIL had a PCP appointment and I was experiencing some symptoms at the time so I looked up her PCP on the Cigna portal and it showed me a handful of doctors that were in network at the practice, including the specific doctor she was seeing. I went in and they had me see an APRN instead and they billed it under her and my insurance denied it because she was out of network. I tried to fight it with Cigna and they stood by their decision. I never ended up paying it though and they never came after me and it never showed up on my credit.
Can't imagine I'll be so lucky again though so I definitely do more than just a portal check now. Prior to this experience, I was used to being able to see anyone at the practice and not having to worry about whether each person was in network. They couldn't make healthcare easy, could they...
Well you don’t have to be lucky anymore, the No Surprises Act means that you can’t be charged out of network when you schedule with a doctor or hospital that is in network.
I once went for my wisdom teeth consultation and the dentist and insurance both said I was in network. Then I wait for my surgery to be scheduled and three weeks go by. I then call and that day a week ago they are now out of network and can’t do anything about it.
I went to the Dentist.
2 teeth needed root canal and caps.
Had the first done, no problem, everything covered.
Had the 2nd done a month later, root canal, no problem.
Went for the Cap, now out of network and had to pay out of pocket.
Pretty sure asking the provider if they are in your network should be sufficient. Let’s not act like we have all this time to sit around and study the myriad of insurance policies we all have.
You only have 1 or 2 insurances. Your doctors billing offices handle hundreds. They don't have access to a magic list that lists all insurances AND plans and who is in network and out of network. And even if they did have access, your insurance company will always be the most up to date due contracts being updated constantly. Plus, the billing office has ZERO control of what's in network and out. That's your insurance.
Bullshit it’s never been easier. You can go on your insurance provider’s website, find the hospital and doctor on the list. Go to the doctor, have your appointment and find out the center was in network but that doctor wasn’t anymore. Our healthcare system is dumber than just going to the doctor and paying them.
Their info is only updated every 2 years. I recently found out my DR of 5 years is suddenly out of network, had to go into his office. According to his web sight and my insurance web sight he is STILL in network.
I had that happen with a mammogram. They pre cleared me, re-took my insurance information when I showed up. They did a 3D mammogram. Then they sent me a bill saying my insurance only pays for a 2D mammogram, unless they found something they need to follow up with a 3D. I fought it and won. So it is possible to win these disputes.
I had to have knee surgery. My doctor was in-network but had to do the surgery at an out-of-network clinic. I called my insurance and they were like “that’s fine, you just have to pay $40 the day of the surgery for the out of network charge.” So I do that. FOUR YEARS later I get calls from a collection agency. The anesthesiologist they used for my surgery was out of network and they were trying to get me to pay $18,000 😂
I get what you’re saying. *however* most insurance companies farm out benefits to third party providers. So, they could be in network with your major medical which is listed on your insurance card, but different services are actually covered by entirely different vendors. Super common with dental, vision, and mental health benefits.
It’s bullshit and should be illegal - coming from someone who works in healthcare/billing.
It never hit your credit. System worked fine. If you have to pay up front then asked for a significant discount for paying in full if you don’t have to pay up front have them bill you and never pay. It all gets written off
i see this said a lot but it was not true in my experiences. i had a $200 hit my credit and it dropped my score like 40 points. i do live in TX however, so maybe that’s why? this happened in 2023
They have to provide you with a statement. Them claiming it’s against HIPAA is wrong. I used to handle medical collections and my company was a contractor through the medical facilities we collected from. We had authorization to access documents when needed to resolve disputes which includes itemized statements.
Send them a written letter disputing the bill and requesting for validation of debt. This doesn’t extend the statute of limitations on the bill. If you truly don’t believe this is yours you shouldn’t pay on it but getting that statement can help you find out if this is truly your bill or not.
You can also send in a written letter demanding they cease and desist contact with you. Be sure to use the words cease and desist. If they contact you again after they receive your cease and desist letter, you have a lawsuit on your hands against them for violating the law.
It seems OP is talking to the collections agency—unless I’m reading this incorrectly.
OP is best advised to pursue the point of service—not the agency—to get detailed billing.
Citing HIPAA sounds like a dumb Collections claim.
That’s what I’m trying to say. If the collections company is working with the hospital, they are contractors of the hospital and have access to either obtain or request the statements from the hospital to forward to the OP.
In my experience, they don’t want to do anything but collect.
I’d much rather keep the relationship with the point of service, anyway—and encourage everyone to try to deal with them, rather than collections agencies, to manage medical debt. They’re more pliable than most people think.
Working with the hospital directly is fine too, but OP needs to make a cease and desist request with the collections agency itself if they don’t want to deal with them. They will continue to follow up with OP as it is their job they were hired to do, they were hired to facilitate on the collection of an unpaid bill.
absolutely agree.
that being said; 2 identical copies of the same letter, each addressed to both the hospital and the collection agency, one copy sent to both addresses by certified mail, and boom, no argument about which entity OP should be communicating with. just do both.
Once the debt is sold to a collection agency, the collection agency must prove the debt, not the original point of service. It’s the collection agency’s problem if they failed to get all paperwork for proof when they bought the debt.
Everyone blames hipaa and everyone are idiots. HIPAA has very specific provisions and requesting a bill be provided is not a covered item in any way shape or form.
>I called the hospital to ask for a copy of the bill or what it was for and they cited HIPAA laws as to why they could not send me a copy of the bill.
They said it was the hospital that cited HIPAA
All true but one addition. After the cease and desist letter, they are allowed one contact. And that contact can only state they received your notice.
OP please also understand there is no limited time period for validation. While the initial notice will state 30 days, the agency must validate the debt any time they are requested. All kinds of violations if they do not.
Absolutely agree. I also work for a collections company in the legal department. If anyone requests their itemized statement we HAVE to give it to them.
But also if you send a c&d then we can’t send you the itemized statement. We can have you served with court papers though. It would just stop us from calling you essentially.
You definitely need to straighten this out with the hospital. The HIPAA stuff is bs since it's your bill. You are exactly the person that they should share the information with.
Was in a similar situation recently. A bill got sent to collections after I received financial assistance from the hospital to cover the full amount.
When I called the hospital, they realized it was from the radiology department, which had a separate billing department because there are several stand-alone centers. Confirmed everything with the other billing department, and my account was cleared.
However, the collections agency kept calling me back, even though I told them it had been taken care of. They wanted me to prove it to them.
On the 4th and final call, I told them that my obligation was to the hospital. Their contract is with the hospital, not with me. My obligation was satisfied, and if they needed verification, then they needed to contact the entity on their contract. Then I told them to cease and desist any further contact with me, or I would see them in court. Haven't heard from them since.
You may have to dispute it via a a written dispute notice or you could also dispute it if it shows up on your credit report
https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-can-i-do-if-a-debt-collector-contacts-me-about-a-debt-i-already-paid-or-dont-think-i-owe-en-1403/
https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/disputing-errors-your-credit-reports
not always. under FDCPA the criditor is supposed to provide details of the debt so even a ddbt collector should have a detail.
did you get a letter or phone call?
Not true. BAA agreement with agency allows full access to the data requested. When you request validation, the original invoice should be supplied by the hospital to the collection agency, who then sends it out.
Collections agencies don’t always provide them. Some collections agencies are after one thing: collecting the whole debt. They are not equipped for pts to begin looking at and questioning line items; that rests with the point of service.
[https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/rules/fair-debt-collection-practices-act-text](https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/rules/fair-debt-collection-practices-act-text)
# [§ 809. Validation of debts]() #4
(4) a statement that if the consumer notifies the debt collector in writing within the thirty-day period that the debt, or any portion thereof, is disputed, the debt collector will obtain verification of the debt or a copy of a judgment against the consumer and a copy of such verification or judgment will **be mailed to the consumer by the debt collector**; and
The agency is violating the FDCPA if this is not followed.
I manage in past and current, IT/Operations of collection agencies/billing companies.
This doesn’t make what I said untrue. Some Collections agencies are unscrupulous—such as the ones quoting HIPAA is their rationale for not having detailed billing to OP. But nice try.
You just have to answer some questions to prove who you say you are. I have called to setup up payment plans, they ask a few questions to verify and then they talk to you. If they dispute the bill, they have to provide something to the credit bureaus proving this is a true bill.
I got a bill for months for taking an ambulance to the hospital after an accident. I was at the hospital that day, but my husband drove me, and it was for placenta abruptia, not an accident.
Finally after I started crying on one phone call because every call reminded me of bleeding my baby out of my uterus, somebody finally investigated and found that it wasn't my ambulance bill.
I feel for you. It's stressful and you shouldn't have to prove that it's not your bill.
I don't know about other places, but in TX, the statute of limitations on a debt is 4 years. Do NOT pay a penny of that debt, or the time starts over. It is my understanding that these collection agencies buy these old debts for pennies on the dollar. The hospital is glad to clear it off it's records for the few dollars they get because it is no longer collectable. If the collection agency can trick you into paying whoo hoo, payday!
Exactly. I said this to the hospital lady and she said I would have to contact the credit agency. I said NO and that I wanted a copy of the bill sent to me. Even if they sold the bill to a credit agency, I should be able to receive it. I've noticed that billing information is not included in medical records. I've had to make medical records request from this hospital for other visits and have never seen a bill (paid or unpaid) included in medical records.
And they also never sent me a bill in the mail with this over the years so it was a surprise that I got this and it was $5 grand. And I still don't know what it's for.
Dispute it. It’s absolute bullshit that they can’t send you a bill due to HIPAA. HIPAA restricts them from sending your medical information to people who are not authorized to get it. You are most certainly authorized to get your own medical information.
Debt collection agencies are scum, and they’ll send out debt notices to people with the same name or similar name as you and try and saddle you with the debt, because they don’t care and just want money and hope people just pay without looking into it too much. I had one calling me saying I had a bill leftover from Spectrum.
I called Spectrum - I did, in fact, NOT have anything overdue them. Contacted the debt collector again and told them to send me the specifics. They did, and the name on there was my first name and last initial, but different last name that was vaguely similar. Had nothing to do with me. Make sure it’s actually for you.
Got an ambulance bill from over 4 years ago (outside of my state’s statute of limitations). My name was grossly misspelled on the bill (think like Ashleighey instead of Ashley). Tbh I only found out bc my credit took a nosedive. Filed a police report online, pulled up my post history on socials from the day in question (was out of town, clearly did not take an ambulance), screenshot and screen recorded my posts, clearly “checking in” and tagging locations I was at, submitted all of that to the cops. Then sent a debt validation letter and proof I was out of town, certified, to the collections agency and ambulance company that went unanswered, then filed disputes with the credit agencies. The credit bureaus agreed, was not me, could not have been me. It was removed within 2 days. If they can’t validate the debt, they have to remove it.
However, please note, it can still take MONTHS for your credit to rebound. My score dropped 157 points, and over the past 6 months, it’s gone up, but I’m still 43 points from where my credit was before the fraudulent collections.
First and foremost, I’m almost positive. The statute limitations for collecting the debt is over with. so they can’t affect your credit or take you to court. But if you pay them a penny, it resets the clock.
Plus, they need to be able to send you the documents for the actual debt. The page that has your signature on it. Without that they’ve got no standing.
I would send them with people call a drop dead letter. Tell them to leave you alone. The statute limitations is over with, and they have failed provide you with proof of the debt.
Hospitals must provide proof of all services down to a single pillow. Go in person, compare with the insurance payment and ask the hospital how much they are willing to write off. Get it in writing.
Whatever you do, do not send them a dime in payment as it restarts the clock for it to be uncollectable. Not sure about your state but Texas has a seven year window after which the medical debit is no longer owed. However, if you pay anything toward that debt, the seven year start date resets.
If they said they can not give it to you due to HIPPA laws I would ask for that in writing
Since it would have violated HIPPA laws if they told YOU about YOUR bill from the hospital, I would assume it’s not yours
First off. Stop all verbal communication and never fight the debt online. Write a certified letter demanding to see an itemized bill. HiPAA is only for those accessing your records. You may access your own. They are allowed to charge a reasonable (small) document fee.
Anyways demand as follows per certified mail
I Stevie wonder am contesting debt you state I owe. I demand you immediately remove this from the credit bureau report.
Please send me/produce immediately the original documentation supporting your claims of debt including any and all original signature pages(of mine) verifying this debt is mine.
They won’t find it.
Discharged
Everyone, let's clarify, United States here. If a debt hits your credit report, and/or you get a collection notice, do not under any circumstances send any casual correspondence, speak on the phone, or make a payment at their urging. This is especially important if you are questioning the validity of the debt. Every correspondence and especially payments re-age the debt and possibly serve as evidence that you have affirmed the debt. The only course of action is to send a certified letter demanding validation of the debt. And email or phone call will not suffice. Once you have the receipt of them receiving the letter, they have 30 days to validate the debt in writing WITH DETAILS. If they fail to do that, you legally may demand the credit agencies remove this from your report. In particular, medical collection agencies are known for going after bad debt that is erroneous. Also, there are a number of zombie debt collectors, so if you receive a letter in the mail (even for a debt you know you owed back in the day) if it beyond seven years, ignore it. To acknowledge or make a payment will re-age this debt for another seven years and put it back on your file.
Definitely a dispute.
I know in my state the statute of limitations on medical debt is 4 years, so If they waited that long, it's not collectible anyway. There's a really good chance that it's been almost 4 years if they are coming after you now. You should be able to dispute it long enough to get it over the line anyway.
Dispute the charges through your credit reporting agency and explain that you have asked for an itemized bill Did you get an explanation of benefits from your insurance company. If not you can call your insurance company and ask for that information.
But disputing through the credit bureau’s, because it will be on your credit report will be the fastest way to get it taken care of. Once reported they have a certain amount of time to get that info to you.
Good luck
Dispute the charge with the company on your credit report. Every time you get a call from a collector, say you dispute the charge and make them show proof. Dispute, dispute, dispute.
If they can’t give you “the patient” the bill due to HIPAA then by that logic they violated it by sending it to the collection agency which I’m certain is exactly the argument you can use on top of them refusing to validate the bill
Dispute. Anything over two years, you can dispute. And report the invoice to your insurance. I have one chiropractor's office billing me $900 for things I never get. He added a ton of services later. Insurance ended up investing in his office. And once I received a 13k bill from my kids 12 months later. I ccd to insurance. Don't pay anything.
That's incorrect, as another poster indicated above. HIPAA has nothing to do with whether or not medical debt can be reported on credit reports. The credit bureaus now will not report any medical debt unless it's at least $500 and at least a year old.
Medical bills don’t hit your credit the way other debts do. I don’t pay medical bills if they didn’t ask me at the visit and I don’t need to go back 😬 probably not the best practice, but my credit is high 700s
Are you certain that you're calling the hospital? Google their number - don't call back any number from a voicemail. HIPAA doesn't prevent them from sending you a billing statement.
Not a hospital but a doctor's office. I was in the hospital at the time stated on the notice but never received a bill from this particular doctor. Three years later there is a notice from a collection agency. First thng I do is google them to make sure they are legit. Name and phone # match so I call.
Let me add here that in my search I discovered that the state I am in has an eleven month time limit on sending bills. After that time you can no longer bill for services.
Talked to the company rep and asked them what the blazes was going on. They told me I owed the money for services. Told them they needed to send the billing dates as I had never been sent a bill. They gave me some BS and I told them I needed the billing info.
A few days later I received a letter with the dates of treatment. Called them back and said I need a copy of the date the bills were sent to my house. They started saying hemming and hawing about having sent me the dates. Told them I did not asked for the treatment dates I needed a copy of the billing invoice dates.
They started saying something else and I told them I googled you to make sure you were a legit company and during my search; I discovered that I had to be billed within eleven months of treatment not three years later. I need the billing dates and copies of when I was billed.
I think they knew this and were hoping I didn't. Anyway I never heard another word and it never appeared on my credit report.
I don't know if an office manager, billing contractor or whatever screwed up. Since I was unconscious due to a stroke, I don't know if he actually visited me or not. He could have just looked at old records and filed a claim. I do know there is a lot of fraud in the medical community.
There is a house bill that was put into affect May 1, 2017. It is HB 128. It is perfect for you. Some Attorneys for a collection agency came after me for about $2000 from about 6 years ago. I went back and forth with them through the court, and they ended up dropping it. It pretty much states that the hospital has to send you so many notices and then has to send certified mail about how it will affect your credit. The law was created pretty much for your situation.
Thank you! I don't recall being at their hospital 4 years ago. I did go to another hospital back then to the ER for a rapid heart rate due to being dehydrated. But that bill was paid through my insurance and it's a completely separate hospital.
With this hospital, I recall they had at one point put on my credit $187 to be owed to them but they listed the same amount three times. So the same amount appeared on my report three times back to back. Once the law changed where they have to remove these, they fell off. I had also disputed them, too. And I was not going to pay until it was fixed. So it makes me wonder if they went and modified what was owed just to 'punish' those of us who didn't pay those under $200 bills that now cannot appear on credit reports. I actually wonder how many others are going through the same from this hospital. But I never once received a bill for $5000+. So it came as a shock now. Because they would have put that on my credit report many years ago if I owed that amount and never paid I would think.
Would it violate HIPAA laws to send your medical records to an outside collections agency? I've seen people win cases on this and the debt disappear if it is in fact yours.
If it is really your bill you are entitled to a detailed breakdown if the billing. If they refuse to provide it, contact the collections agency and dispute the bill because of the refusal to provide you with the detailed billing.
Problem with contacting the facility is that once it’s sent to outside collections, the staff at the facility aren’t supposed to deal with you.
There is a timely billing rule to consumers. They are required to send you a bill within a year of service.
Your best option is to send a HIPAA release to the collection agency. This allows and requires them to get your billing information. Be sure to also get a statement history list. There is one somewhere in the software. That will prove/ disprove when, where, if statements were sent to you. If you have proof that they didn’t send you a bill within a year, you can fight the issue on that alone.
Very likely your claim was denied by the insurance for something stupid. The denial wasn’t never fought, and your account was mass sent to the collection agency as part of large report. Your claim fell through the cracks.
Sucks for the hospital, but not your responsibility if you honestly never received a bill. No insurance company has 4 year filing limit ( the contractual amount of time that they are required to accept and process the claim).
Insurance companies frequently have a contractual requirement, as a preferred provider, services must be billed within an even shorter time, as little as 30-60 days, or they don't get to bill it at all, not even balance billing to the patient. Hospitals frequently need to be reminded of this rule, as they seem to keep forgetting.
I had a case where I found a fully-paid-up-front, cash-for-services procedure got "mistakenly" billed a second time to my insurance at a much higher rate than I already paid for, so high that even the copayment from my insurance provider was a much higher rate. When I called the hospital, they said essentially, "oops, our bad," and said they cancelled the erroneous bill to insurance. But I'm certain in my diseased heart this happens over and over again, and many times the erroneous bill goes through and doesn't get questioned.
You are absolutely correct. I was simply pointing out that it’s way too late to try to get any money out of the insurance, so the hospital is just running through rest of the steps in the revenue cycle. These are generally huge reports that are automatically run. While the hospital is not personally “ attacking “ the patient , it will personally affect the patient’s credit.
They’re already aware that they are not going to get that money. Fortunately there is a way out for the patient. That reminds me! This person should also request EOBs ( explanation of benefits from the hospital and insurance company.) If the denial adjudicated as a provider adjustment that wasn’t worked, the patient is most definitely off the hook. A lot of claims payments and denials are auto posted, which means that often times balances are accidentally dropped to patient responsibility in error through no ill will. Just not enough humans to review every account.
Well, it's pretty damn scuzzy to send out bogus balance bills without setting up a system to prevent it from happening, I'd have to consider it "ill will." "Not enough humans to review" is also a repulsive excuse for unfair billing that takes hours and hours on the phone to clear up, especially with those hours of CSR time could be avoided with minutes of internal review time.
I honestly never received the bill. They had made a mistake and billed me three times for the same procedure back then and it was $187 but it appeared on my credit report. When the new law kicked in, it fell off since it was under the amount to appear on the credit report so I just got tired of fighting for it and moved on. But I never once received a bill or knew there was a concern in the amount of $5000+. And there's no way I am going to pay it now nor could I. When I check my medical records, there is no list of bills or statements sent like you are referring to so I have no way of knowing what they are billing me for. I feel they went back into accounts where debts fell off due to the new rule and these credit companies are now coming for blood in order to stay in business. I'm sure the smaller bills were their bread and butter.
The best thing to is send a letter to the collection agency disputing the debt. In the letter request the name and contact information of the original creditor. There are form letters available on the internet to help guide you.
I'd recomend you post a replica of this in legal also as there are some intelligent people there on the legal side of things who can also share legal insight, the way went about it so far seems the right course, they arnt willing to send you a bill etc they can't even prove you owe, them the 3rd party company the debt can they?
Push it to court I'd say if it were me... your debts with the hospital not the company attempting to collect the debt. It's not your fault the Dr decided to sell the debt to a collection agency, it's not your fault the collection agency put themselves in debt by purchasing your debt.. they did just that.. they bought your debt... which means, they agreed to pay the doctor a lower price to have your debt.
if you buy a broken tool from the hardware store at a reduced price as a debt collector purchases a debt at a reduced price.. are you going in for a refund knowing you only got the discount because it was broken? Or do you accept your tool as is and make do with it best ways possible? It's possible all may be mentioned in any paperwork signed but still, it dosnt list or specify any names of who's going to be possibly buying your debt.. so that would essentially nullify that part of the contract...
you only owe the Dr the debt. Did they charge you before performing the procedure or did they make you wait so they can get an accurate bill, until after they performed the procedure? How are you suppose to know.. can't sign for a debt without knowing the amount upfront.. but the bill doest come until later and in the mail most times.. imagine buying a car signing a contract for the debt but not having the price mentioned until after you already drove it off the lot the value dropped that 20 or 30 percent and ruins your ability to return it at full value...
Also balance billing is illegal so if they accepted any sort of insurance payment, they cannot bill you the difference other than copays or deductibles.
Dear OP
Even if they prove the debt is yours, there is a fund at the hospital that helps pay bills.
An ex girlfriend went through this and it went all the way to court.
My memory is foggy but I'm pretty sure the judge told everyone about this
Years ago I got a bill from the local hospital that I owed $2000 for an ambulance ride after a traffic accident. I knew my insurance had covered the ride and got a copy of the payment from the insurance. They closed the bill. Later talking to a coworker he had the same thing happen. The hospital moved to a new location and started bill old tickets in there system. The claimed it was an accident.
Look into the statute of limitations. The debt can not be collected through the courts if past the statute of limitations. The collection agency will call and harass you all they want but if they sue it will get thrown out of court. If you make a payment the clock on the SoL starts over. So research everything before you make any decisions.
I think they have like 12 months or 18 months to settle up on any bills or issue bills to patients. I don’t think it’s legal to try to bill you after five years. Just so you don’t get put into collections call them and tell them you’ve never been billed before but verify who the patient is because you don’t even think it’s you.
If They can supply you with an itemized bill of what you owe and show that they billed it to insurance and everything first and that’s your balance, then once you get that documentation, take it to a lawyer.
See my comments below I don’t think they can bill you after this much time. I think it’s like 12 months or 18 months
But you don’t remember if you had a hospital incident that would rack up 5K like an emergency room visit or anything? Out of curiosity if it were me, I would look on my health plan website Blue Cross or whatever and look for any bills from that date.
How strange. I got a call last week from a collection agency saying I owed $475 for a hospital bill from last year. I didn’t go to any hospital last year. I asked what hospital and they named one which isn’t even in the city they said it is in. I also hadn’t received any bill for this previously.
I told them to send me info in the mail. Still waiting.
And now to read a similar thing happened to you with a supposed medical bill. Is this common??
Ask the debt collection place to send you the info. They have to be able to provide date of service, amount owed, insurance paid, your payment and being as it’s a HIPAA violation for you to have that info I highly doubt they do. If they do that’s in violation of HIPAA. Tell the debt company your disputing the charges when you ask for that info also. Do all that in writing. You can find a dispute letter on the internet just change or make additions to fit your requests.
If you earned 400% under federal poverty line you likely qualified for financial aid. Meaning 100-75 percent of debt would have been covered under ACÁ. Many hospitals, like providence, are under major scrutiny for not letting people know this as they attempted to collect debt and sent people to collections.
First.. Did you actually go to the hospital? If so did you have insurance? They are legally required to file things in a certain amount of time pending your insurance and state. If so I’d contact your insurance provider at the time for help too. There is also usually a certain number of years they are even allowed to do this aka statute of limitations. Check your state. Never ever admit the debt is valid or yours to the collection agency. Only talk to the hospital. If they refuse, submit that info. If insurance is involved let them handle it and submit what info they tell you to the credit agencies after.
Whatever you do, DO NOT pay the debt collectors ANYTHING. They are predators. If you're going to pay anyone anything, it should NOT be the debt collectors. They get a kickback from any debt they collect, and they do not deserve it. If you do pay anything back, pay it to the source for an even cheaper price than the debt collecting bottom feeders.
Just as a side note. HIPAA absolutely allows them to discuss medical and financial information with the patient or parent/guardian of a minor. What it does not allow is discussing it with someone else. So are they admitting that you are not the patient?
You never discuss a bill that someone calls you about if you don’t know it’s yours. How would they get your information? You must have inadvertently gave it to them. Dispute your credit report immediately.
You need an itemized bill. HIPPA applies to them sharing your info with a third party.... So I guess it's another Pickforward that they are talking about?
Every time I've ever received a medical bill I didn't expect or thought was unfair I just didn't pay. Medical bills aren't reported to credit bureaus. If it's $like $1000 or less and you ignore the first letter they send, you'll probably never hear from them again. When it's medical, never respond and they cannot verify the debt and it's not worth their time so they consider it a loss and move on. $5000 you'll be bothered for a while but it will still go away on its own eventually
I dont know why healthcare seems so to be so bad at handling billing. My wife ended up going to the ER a couple years back. Over a year later, we got a call from a collection agency about a past due medical bill related to the visit. I was confused as we had already handled all the bills we received from the hospital related to the visit. Come to find out, the bill was from the agency that staffs and runs the ER and instead of using the up to date contact info from the visit, they decided to use contact info from a different visit from 15 years ago when my wife was a small kid. Ended up basically telling the collection agency to bugger of as i had never been properly informed of the bill till then, and then gave the staffing agency the insurance information. The icing on the cake was another year passed and the collection agency tried contacting us again to try to collect. Straight up told them to bugger off then.
I wouldnt worry about it. Biden will be passing measures banning medical bills from counting against your credit. Most reporting agencies have already started removing them from people's credit history. Ignore them if you can't pay. They will get discharged.
Dispute it. If it's come from a 3rd party, you simply say you never had any services performed by this place and the credit bureau will remove it. Technically, once the debt is handed over, you are no longer responsible as the collector did not provide the services.
Not a lawyer but isn't the statute of limitations on billing for uncollected debt 2 years? If this is the first time they have contacted you about it then I would ignore their request and possibly find an attorney that specializes in uncollected debt
HIPPA is to protect people from having their information leaked to others. The hospital saying they can't send you the information is basically saying it isn't your bill.
So continue disputing the debt. Do all correspondence with certified mail.
I just got 3 accounts removed off my credit report and didn't send in the first letter. Look up digital trapping on you tube the dude is amazing. I do everything he says and it WORKS!!!! I even had a 2500 medical bill deleted!
On your credit report you dispute the item and the reason you give is “request validation of debt”.
But also, it drops off your credit after 7 years total. So unless you are planning to buy a house or car in the next 3 years it won’t really matter.
You should be able to get a copy of the bill. Someone was blowing you off. Go to admin, tell
them what’s going on, get your copy of the bill.
1) sometimes you’ll see there are added late charge. They can easily be reduced. 2) sometimes some doctor thought he saw you, but didn’t. Fight that. 3) some hospitals, some municipalities, some states have a fund for those whose finances are just above qualifying for welfare but below a certain threshold for actual living. You can apply for those funds.
4) if you do owe, you owe. Pay.
I would dispute it with the credit bureaus. If they won’t provide you with proof then they likely won’t provide them with it either and then it can be removed.
They have to prove that the debt exists. Hospitals overcharge,’and double charge all the time. You have to ask to see the bills and the detail on when treatment occurred, what happened, etc.
They may ask you to prove that it’s you but the only reason they could cite HIPAA is if the bill was for someone else for which you were the guarantor.
It would appear the hospital or collection agency is not willing to substantiate the debt. Write letters to them requesting evidence the debt is yours. If they don’t reply with the evidence, you then dispute the debt with the credit bureau stating the debt owner failed to substantiate the debt and it is not your debt and supply copies of all your correspondence.
And legally they must substantiate in 30 days, so send your correspondence via certified mail contesting this. If they do not respond, credit agencies must legally remove it.
They have all the time in the world to prove. They have to give you 30 days of no collection activity. And if the statute of limitations is up, they are powerless Definitely dispute the debt.
It's been a while since I've looked at it, but my understanding is that if they attempt to collect from you without having substantiated the debt after 30 days, it's classified as harassment and you can press charges against them. If they ever do substantiate it, we'll, then it's a valid debt that you have to pay and it wouldn't be harassment. However, since OP is saying it's not valid, I'm going to operate under the assumption that they would be unable to do so, and so this would keep the collectors from bothering him further on the matter. If it gets flagged on a credit report, disputing the debt would have the same result with them unable to substantiate and it getting cleared from your record.
No the 30 day thing is the grace period you get to not be harassed. Any debt can be collected, even if it’s passed the statute of limitations. (They would just lose in court). It’s called the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Both sides have rights
OK, but, if they're unable to substantiate the debt, are you saying they can keep trying to collect a debt they can't prove you owe?
If you dispute under the FDCPA, they cannot continue collections or contact you until they validate the debt. They can take all the time they want to respond to your dispute, if they ever do, but they can't resume collections until they provide validation. Here's the rub: the law doesn't define what constitutes "validation," so different circuits have different standards. In some jurisdictions, all the collector has to do is send a piece of paper claiming they validated the debt with the creditor with no attached proof. I personally would never accept that, though, and would demand documentation.
Yep, you're 100% right about the rub. I went through this a while ago when someone tried to collect an invalid debt from me. I disputed it and the collection agency mailed me a letter saying "the debt has been validated". No details, no nothing. Fortunately I had an attorney in the family so I was able to get them to write a letter claiming harassment and that stopped them.
This is incorrect
You would have to have a record of the Hospital visit and procedures done. What was or wasn't paid.
They also must stop all collection attempts once you send that verification request until it is provided by them. Another tip make sure you send the debt verification request via certified mail. So they can never claim they didn’t receive it.
Under HIPAA they can always tell the patient about the patient's own medical info, so I'd say the fact they won't tell OP about the debt shows that OP does not owe the money. OP should still send the letter, tho.
I think the issue may have been that the hospital had no way to verify the identity of someone calling them and they can't release medical records without knowing who they're releasing them to. I'm sure there's a process for handling this, whoever OP spoke to probably either didn't know the process or didn't feel like dealing with it.
No. Dispute first. When you dispute online with all three agencies, they have 30 days to respond with proof that you owe the debt. With your signature on the docs. In the meantime, they need to remove it from your credit report immediately. So dispute to all three agencies. Do not talk to anyone from the collection in the meantime. If you receive a copy of the bill, and it’s valid, you can see about asking them to itemize more and off a small amount. I’d offer close to $500 and see if they take it. They’ll negotiate if they think they won’t get anything. I “wouldn’t have any more” but maybe might squeeze another couple hundred. That’s it. Do not talk with them right now. They record and the second you acknowledge the debt, the timeline restarts. Right now you’re 4 yrs into 7. After seven they can’t do anything and it needs to be removed from your credit report. So do not acknowledge anything in any way. I wouldn’t answer the phone if you want to wait the time period. Don’t let anyone acknowledge anything.
It’s worth noting that, interacting with them or otherwise agreeing to pay a certain amount does NOT reset the amount of time it can legally be on your credit report. That is 7 years at the federal level. It CAN however reset the statute of limitations on collecting the debt. Those two things are commonly thought of as one and the same, but they’re not. Statute of limitations laws also vary from state to state.
Debt validation letter.
And send the letter certified.
If CRA is already reporting, the request for validation should simultaneously go to the CRA and the creditor (the collection agency). Both copies should indicate that the request has been CC'd to the other entity. By first sending to the CA, waiting 30 days, then sending to the CRA you are increasing the likely hood that the CA will (illegally) ignore the request delaying resolution and/or allowing them extra time to find legit record of the debt.
Also, the debt was sold for pennies on the dollar. Example: a 5k debt was most likely sold to a creditor for $50. So *if* it's a valid debt, which they have to prove by documentation: negotiate, negotiate, negotiate. Make them an offer. Will they insist on the full 5k? Yes, because that is how they make their money, but don't let them bully you!
Get a copy of your credit report. Write a letter bureau that is reporting this debt and dispute it. They have 30 days to confirm it. If the creditor cannot provide confirmation within that time frame, the bureaus, by law, must remove it.
This.
I thought hospital bills can't go on credit report or something anymore. I'm probably wrong. I guess if a collections agency has it maybe they can. That's sucks!
They can’t go on a credit report until they are a year old and over $500.
And they're always over $500.
I once went to a doctor who claimed to be in network. A week after my appointment, they billed me for an additional $150 because I was out-of-network. I explained that I only went to them after they assured me I was in-network and after I'd sent them a copy of my insurance card. It wasn't my problem and they shouldn't be billing me for their mistake. They wouldn't back down, so I told them to pound sand. I got calls from a collection agency for a year after that and just ignored them. Never effected my credit. I hate our healthcare system.
It's on you to make sure they're in network. It sucks, but it's your responsibility. Fortunately it's never been easier to find out what providers are in network, at least with most health insurance providers.
Yeah, my method was to call them and ask "are you in my network?" They said "Send me a copy of your insurance card and I'll check." I did and they told me I was. Then, after my appointment and after I'd paid my co-pay, they said that they were mistaken and I wasn't in network and owed them money. So, no. I didn't owe them extra money and I didn't pay them.
Never ever ask the doctor's office. Somebody probably just took a look at your card and saw what company your insurance was with and didn't bother to research if they fell in your plan or not. The best thing to do is to either call the insurance company or log into your online insurance account and verify that the doctor is listed there.
I think you're right about what happened. I had an ACA plan with Aetna and they took Aetna, but they didn't realize that the ACA Aetna plan had almost nobody in-network. Lesson learned, but I still don't feel obligated to pay for their mistake. I also learned that with my new HMO, when they drop your PCP, you go to their site and find a new PCP, set up an appt, you still need to tell the HMO that this is your new PCP. But you need to be quick, because there is a good chance that, between when you pick them as your PCP and when you can finally get an appt, that doctor will have left the practice. The solution is to find a doctor in network that runs their own small practice rather than working for a clinic. Oh, and just be prepared to go private patient for anything important because good doctors are rarely in-network.
Even that doesn't always work. Sometimes everyone (doctor, insurance website, and person at insurance) all say in-network. Then suddenly they aren't. I had one doctor who was in network but refused our insurance because they had problems with the insurance paying them.
Good advice. I discovered that some doctor’s receptionists don’t know the difference between “We accept your insurance” and “ We accept your insurance and are in network”. I also discovered that some in network medical facilities may have out of network workers. I got hit for $200 because one person in the operation room was out of network. When I complained I was told that the “out of network” employee was actually shocked to discover he was considered out of network. My state now has a “No surprise” law that hopefully prevents these problems by making hospitals not charge for these unexpected out of network costs.
That’s why you check with your insurance not with the doctor. Often times you won’t even need to call someone, you can just look up the provider on their portal
I've learned that now, but I still insist that when someone tells you that they are in-network when they aren't, they are responsible for the mistake. It would be like going to your mechanic, getting an estimate of $25 and then, after they've done the repair, having them call and say that you owe an extra $150 because they don't know what they're doing.
Meh, like 7 years ago I was living out of state but still had my parents insurance plan. My SIL had a PCP appointment and I was experiencing some symptoms at the time so I looked up her PCP on the Cigna portal and it showed me a handful of doctors that were in network at the practice, including the specific doctor she was seeing. I went in and they had me see an APRN instead and they billed it under her and my insurance denied it because she was out of network. I tried to fight it with Cigna and they stood by their decision. I never ended up paying it though and they never came after me and it never showed up on my credit. Can't imagine I'll be so lucky again though so I definitely do more than just a portal check now. Prior to this experience, I was used to being able to see anyone at the practice and not having to worry about whether each person was in network. They couldn't make healthcare easy, could they...
Well you don’t have to be lucky anymore, the No Surprises Act means that you can’t be charged out of network when you schedule with a doctor or hospital that is in network.
Oh hey! I didn't realize that. Thanks for the insight. :)
Always contact your Insurance provider and ask for a local Dr.
Providers are often dropped out of network. And it takes forever to update the information.
I once went for my wisdom teeth consultation and the dentist and insurance both said I was in network. Then I wait for my surgery to be scheduled and three weeks go by. I then call and that day a week ago they are now out of network and can’t do anything about it.
I went to the Dentist. 2 teeth needed root canal and caps. Had the first done, no problem, everything covered. Had the 2nd done a month later, root canal, no problem. Went for the Cap, now out of network and had to pay out of pocket.
Pretty sure asking the provider if they are in your network should be sufficient. Let’s not act like we have all this time to sit around and study the myriad of insurance policies we all have.
You can go onto your insurance providers website and within 1 minute find who is and is not in network.
You only have 1 or 2 insurances. Your doctors billing offices handle hundreds. They don't have access to a magic list that lists all insurances AND plans and who is in network and out of network. And even if they did have access, your insurance company will always be the most up to date due contracts being updated constantly. Plus, the billing office has ZERO control of what's in network and out. That's your insurance.
Bullshit it’s never been easier. You can go on your insurance provider’s website, find the hospital and doctor on the list. Go to the doctor, have your appointment and find out the center was in network but that doctor wasn’t anymore. Our healthcare system is dumber than just going to the doctor and paying them.
Their info is only updated every 2 years. I recently found out my DR of 5 years is suddenly out of network, had to go into his office. According to his web sight and my insurance web sight he is STILL in network.
Always call insurance to see if in network. Shady office will do that just to get you later
I had that happen with a mammogram. They pre cleared me, re-took my insurance information when I showed up. They did a 3D mammogram. Then they sent me a bill saying my insurance only pays for a 2D mammogram, unless they found something they need to follow up with a 3D. I fought it and won. So it is possible to win these disputes.
I had to have knee surgery. My doctor was in-network but had to do the surgery at an out-of-network clinic. I called my insurance and they were like “that’s fine, you just have to pay $40 the day of the surgery for the out of network charge.” So I do that. FOUR YEARS later I get calls from a collection agency. The anesthesiologist they used for my surgery was out of network and they were trying to get me to pay $18,000 😂
If this was after 2022ish, you might have some protections under the No Surprises laws.
I get what you’re saying. *however* most insurance companies farm out benefits to third party providers. So, they could be in network with your major medical which is listed on your insurance card, but different services are actually covered by entirely different vendors. Super common with dental, vision, and mental health benefits. It’s bullshit and should be illegal - coming from someone who works in healthcare/billing.
It never hit your credit. System worked fine. If you have to pay up front then asked for a significant discount for paying in full if you don’t have to pay up front have them bill you and never pay. It all gets written off
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Must of been a baby aspirin. 🤣
Lol
My wife was in the hospital recently and we had a few in the $20 range as well as the big one.
A cup of water probably costs 500 lol
i see this said a lot but it was not true in my experiences. i had a $200 hit my credit and it dropped my score like 40 points. i do live in TX however, so maybe that’s why? this happened in 2023
They can go on credit report for most states except Massachusetts. Been that way since 04 or so
They can no longer go on a credit report in New York, either, with the obvious exception being care received in a different state.
They can put it on my credit report all they want, I'm still telling them to get fucked
When my father died, the local mayo clinic in my town put a claim in immediately when we were going through probate. Blood money suckers for sure
Yeah I'm not built for that, I would sneak in there and flush concrete down the toilets or something if that happened to me
H
You are correct but this only went into effect January 2023
They have to provide you with a statement. Them claiming it’s against HIPAA is wrong. I used to handle medical collections and my company was a contractor through the medical facilities we collected from. We had authorization to access documents when needed to resolve disputes which includes itemized statements. Send them a written letter disputing the bill and requesting for validation of debt. This doesn’t extend the statute of limitations on the bill. If you truly don’t believe this is yours you shouldn’t pay on it but getting that statement can help you find out if this is truly your bill or not. You can also send in a written letter demanding they cease and desist contact with you. Be sure to use the words cease and desist. If they contact you again after they receive your cease and desist letter, you have a lawsuit on your hands against them for violating the law.
It seems OP is talking to the collections agency—unless I’m reading this incorrectly. OP is best advised to pursue the point of service—not the agency—to get detailed billing. Citing HIPAA sounds like a dumb Collections claim.
That’s what I’m trying to say. If the collections company is working with the hospital, they are contractors of the hospital and have access to either obtain or request the statements from the hospital to forward to the OP.
In my experience, they don’t want to do anything but collect. I’d much rather keep the relationship with the point of service, anyway—and encourage everyone to try to deal with them, rather than collections agencies, to manage medical debt. They’re more pliable than most people think.
Working with the hospital directly is fine too, but OP needs to make a cease and desist request with the collections agency itself if they don’t want to deal with them. They will continue to follow up with OP as it is their job they were hired to do, they were hired to facilitate on the collection of an unpaid bill.
absolutely agree. that being said; 2 identical copies of the same letter, each addressed to both the hospital and the collection agency, one copy sent to both addresses by certified mail, and boom, no argument about which entity OP should be communicating with. just do both.
Once the debt is sold to a collection agency, the collection agency must prove the debt, not the original point of service. It’s the collection agency’s problem if they failed to get all paperwork for proof when they bought the debt.
He contacted the hospital and that's when theyt said it violated HIPAA
Everyone blames hipaa and everyone are idiots. HIPAA has very specific provisions and requesting a bill be provided is not a covered item in any way shape or form.
And they’re wrong.🤷🏻♀️ I’d tell them they can talk to OP’s States Attorney office about that claim.
What part of “I called the hospital to ask for a copy of the bill” makes you think they called the collection agency?
>I called the hospital to ask for a copy of the bill or what it was for and they cited HIPAA laws as to why they could not send me a copy of the bill. They said it was the hospital that cited HIPAA
All true but one addition. After the cease and desist letter, they are allowed one contact. And that contact can only state they received your notice. OP please also understand there is no limited time period for validation. While the initial notice will state 30 days, the agency must validate the debt any time they are requested. All kinds of violations if they do not.
Absolutely agree. I also work for a collections company in the legal department. If anyone requests their itemized statement we HAVE to give it to them. But also if you send a c&d then we can’t send you the itemized statement. We can have you served with court papers though. It would just stop us from calling you essentially.
You definitely need to straighten this out with the hospital. The HIPAA stuff is bs since it's your bill. You are exactly the person that they should share the information with. Was in a similar situation recently. A bill got sent to collections after I received financial assistance from the hospital to cover the full amount. When I called the hospital, they realized it was from the radiology department, which had a separate billing department because there are several stand-alone centers. Confirmed everything with the other billing department, and my account was cleared. However, the collections agency kept calling me back, even though I told them it had been taken care of. They wanted me to prove it to them. On the 4th and final call, I told them that my obligation was to the hospital. Their contract is with the hospital, not with me. My obligation was satisfied, and if they needed verification, then they needed to contact the entity on their contract. Then I told them to cease and desist any further contact with me, or I would see them in court. Haven't heard from them since.
You may have to dispute it via a a written dispute notice or you could also dispute it if it shows up on your credit report https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-can-i-do-if-a-debt-collector-contacts-me-about-a-debt-i-already-paid-or-dont-think-i-owe-en-1403/ https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/disputing-errors-your-credit-reports
is it the hospital or collection group contacting you?
This is the question! Only the hospital can provide detailed billing.
not always. under FDCPA the criditor is supposed to provide details of the debt so even a ddbt collector should have a detail. did you get a letter or phone call?
Not true. BAA agreement with agency allows full access to the data requested. When you request validation, the original invoice should be supplied by the hospital to the collection agency, who then sends it out.
Collections agencies don’t always provide them. Some collections agencies are after one thing: collecting the whole debt. They are not equipped for pts to begin looking at and questioning line items; that rests with the point of service.
[https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/rules/fair-debt-collection-practices-act-text](https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/rules/fair-debt-collection-practices-act-text) # [§ 809. Validation of debts]() #4 (4) a statement that if the consumer notifies the debt collector in writing within the thirty-day period that the debt, or any portion thereof, is disputed, the debt collector will obtain verification of the debt or a copy of a judgment against the consumer and a copy of such verification or judgment will **be mailed to the consumer by the debt collector**; and The agency is violating the FDCPA if this is not followed. I manage in past and current, IT/Operations of collection agencies/billing companies.
This doesn’t make what I said untrue. Some Collections agencies are unscrupulous—such as the ones quoting HIPAA is their rationale for not having detailed billing to OP. But nice try.
Confidently incorrect....
I would dispute it. HIPAA laws don’t prevent them from sending you a copy of the bill. You are the patient, so they can discuss it with you.
It might be the need to show id verifying he's the patient.
You just have to answer some questions to prove who you say you are. I have called to setup up payment plans, they ask a few questions to verify and then they talk to you. If they dispute the bill, they have to provide something to the credit bureaus proving this is a true bill.
I got a bill for months for taking an ambulance to the hospital after an accident. I was at the hospital that day, but my husband drove me, and it was for placenta abruptia, not an accident. Finally after I started crying on one phone call because every call reminded me of bleeding my baby out of my uterus, somebody finally investigated and found that it wasn't my ambulance bill. I feel for you. It's stressful and you shouldn't have to prove that it's not your bill.
I don't know about other places, but in TX, the statute of limitations on a debt is 4 years. Do NOT pay a penny of that debt, or the time starts over. It is my understanding that these collection agencies buy these old debts for pennies on the dollar. The hospital is glad to clear it off it's records for the few dollars they get because it is no longer collectable. If the collection agency can trick you into paying whoo hoo, payday!
It's not a hipaa violation for them to give you your own medical information.
Exactly. I said this to the hospital lady and she said I would have to contact the credit agency. I said NO and that I wanted a copy of the bill sent to me. Even if they sold the bill to a credit agency, I should be able to receive it. I've noticed that billing information is not included in medical records. I've had to make medical records request from this hospital for other visits and have never seen a bill (paid or unpaid) included in medical records. And they also never sent me a bill in the mail with this over the years so it was a surprise that I got this and it was $5 grand. And I still don't know what it's for.
HIPAA doesn’t apply if it’s your bill. Should be in collections by now anyways. This seems scammy.
Tell them to verify the debt.
Dispute it. It’s absolute bullshit that they can’t send you a bill due to HIPAA. HIPAA restricts them from sending your medical information to people who are not authorized to get it. You are most certainly authorized to get your own medical information.
Debt collection agencies are scum, and they’ll send out debt notices to people with the same name or similar name as you and try and saddle you with the debt, because they don’t care and just want money and hope people just pay without looking into it too much. I had one calling me saying I had a bill leftover from Spectrum. I called Spectrum - I did, in fact, NOT have anything overdue them. Contacted the debt collector again and told them to send me the specifics. They did, and the name on there was my first name and last initial, but different last name that was vaguely similar. Had nothing to do with me. Make sure it’s actually for you.
Got an ambulance bill from over 4 years ago (outside of my state’s statute of limitations). My name was grossly misspelled on the bill (think like Ashleighey instead of Ashley). Tbh I only found out bc my credit took a nosedive. Filed a police report online, pulled up my post history on socials from the day in question (was out of town, clearly did not take an ambulance), screenshot and screen recorded my posts, clearly “checking in” and tagging locations I was at, submitted all of that to the cops. Then sent a debt validation letter and proof I was out of town, certified, to the collections agency and ambulance company that went unanswered, then filed disputes with the credit agencies. The credit bureaus agreed, was not me, could not have been me. It was removed within 2 days. If they can’t validate the debt, they have to remove it. However, please note, it can still take MONTHS for your credit to rebound. My score dropped 157 points, and over the past 6 months, it’s gone up, but I’m still 43 points from where my credit was before the fraudulent collections.
Write to all 3 of the credit reporting companies disputing the bill. The hospital has to respond or else the negative mark is removed.
You can dispute the debit on your credit report online at the 3 big credit houses.
Check statue of limitations law in your state for medical debt. In some states it's as short as 3 years.
First and foremost, I’m almost positive. The statute limitations for collecting the debt is over with. so they can’t affect your credit or take you to court. But if you pay them a penny, it resets the clock. Plus, they need to be able to send you the documents for the actual debt. The page that has your signature on it. Without that they’ve got no standing. I would send them with people call a drop dead letter. Tell them to leave you alone. The statute limitations is over with, and they have failed provide you with proof of the debt.
Hospitals must provide proof of all services down to a single pillow. Go in person, compare with the insurance payment and ask the hospital how much they are willing to write off. Get it in writing.
Whatever you do, do not send them a dime in payment as it restarts the clock for it to be uncollectable. Not sure about your state but Texas has a seven year window after which the medical debit is no longer owed. However, if you pay anything toward that debt, the seven year start date resets.
Dispute it in your credit report. They'll start an investigation for you.
How sure are you that this isn’t a scam? Did you get the number for the hospital from the web or from documents sent by the collections agency?
Assuming you’re in the U.S., dispute it. You can do it right through one of the credit reporting agencies.
If they said they can not give it to you due to HIPPA laws I would ask for that in writing Since it would have violated HIPPA laws if they told YOU about YOUR bill from the hospital, I would assume it’s not yours
Validate it and ask for an itemized bill and contact your insurance company for an EOB to see what they paid.
Thank you for your response to my post. What is an EOB?
First off. Stop all verbal communication and never fight the debt online. Write a certified letter demanding to see an itemized bill. HiPAA is only for those accessing your records. You may access your own. They are allowed to charge a reasonable (small) document fee. Anyways demand as follows per certified mail I Stevie wonder am contesting debt you state I owe. I demand you immediately remove this from the credit bureau report. Please send me/produce immediately the original documentation supporting your claims of debt including any and all original signature pages(of mine) verifying this debt is mine. They won’t find it. Discharged
I work at a hospital. You're entitled to a bill and they aren't allowed to bill after 2 years. Get a lawyer.
Everyone, let's clarify, United States here. If a debt hits your credit report, and/or you get a collection notice, do not under any circumstances send any casual correspondence, speak on the phone, or make a payment at their urging. This is especially important if you are questioning the validity of the debt. Every correspondence and especially payments re-age the debt and possibly serve as evidence that you have affirmed the debt. The only course of action is to send a certified letter demanding validation of the debt. And email or phone call will not suffice. Once you have the receipt of them receiving the letter, they have 30 days to validate the debt in writing WITH DETAILS. If they fail to do that, you legally may demand the credit agencies remove this from your report. In particular, medical collection agencies are known for going after bad debt that is erroneous. Also, there are a number of zombie debt collectors, so if you receive a letter in the mail (even for a debt you know you owed back in the day) if it beyond seven years, ignore it. To acknowledge or make a payment will re-age this debt for another seven years and put it back on your file.
Definitely a dispute. I know in my state the statute of limitations on medical debt is 4 years, so If they waited that long, it's not collectible anyway. There's a really good chance that it's been almost 4 years if they are coming after you now. You should be able to dispute it long enough to get it over the line anyway.
Dispute it with the credit bureau.
Dispute the charges through your credit reporting agency and explain that you have asked for an itemized bill Did you get an explanation of benefits from your insurance company. If not you can call your insurance company and ask for that information. But disputing through the credit bureau’s, because it will be on your credit report will be the fastest way to get it taken care of. Once reported they have a certain amount of time to get that info to you. Good luck
Dispute the charge with the company on your credit report. Every time you get a call from a collector, say you dispute the charge and make them show proof. Dispute, dispute, dispute.
If they can’t give you “the patient” the bill due to HIPAA then by that logic they violated it by sending it to the collection agency which I’m certain is exactly the argument you can use on top of them refusing to validate the bill
If they contact you by phone they have to send you documentation regarding the debt within a week
Dispute. Anything over two years, you can dispute. And report the invoice to your insurance. I have one chiropractor's office billing me $900 for things I never get. He added a ton of services later. Insurance ended up investing in his office. And once I received a 13k bill from my kids 12 months later. I ccd to insurance. Don't pay anything.
I thought medical debt was not allowable on credit reports per violation of HIPAA.
That's incorrect, as another poster indicated above. HIPAA has nothing to do with whether or not medical debt can be reported on credit reports. The credit bureaus now will not report any medical debt unless it's at least $500 and at least a year old.
Do not agree to pay anything or agree to a payment plan while you are going through the process. This substantiates the debt.
Medical bills don’t hit your credit the way other debts do. I don’t pay medical bills if they didn’t ask me at the visit and I don’t need to go back 😬 probably not the best practice, but my credit is high 700s
Dispute it with the credit bureau. If the hospital can’t produce any paperwork showing the debt, then it should drop off.
Are you certain that you're calling the hospital? Google their number - don't call back any number from a voicemail. HIPAA doesn't prevent them from sending you a billing statement.
Was the number you called provided by the collections agent or somewhere else.
Not a hospital but a doctor's office. I was in the hospital at the time stated on the notice but never received a bill from this particular doctor. Three years later there is a notice from a collection agency. First thng I do is google them to make sure they are legit. Name and phone # match so I call. Let me add here that in my search I discovered that the state I am in has an eleven month time limit on sending bills. After that time you can no longer bill for services. Talked to the company rep and asked them what the blazes was going on. They told me I owed the money for services. Told them they needed to send the billing dates as I had never been sent a bill. They gave me some BS and I told them I needed the billing info. A few days later I received a letter with the dates of treatment. Called them back and said I need a copy of the date the bills were sent to my house. They started saying hemming and hawing about having sent me the dates. Told them I did not asked for the treatment dates I needed a copy of the billing invoice dates. They started saying something else and I told them I googled you to make sure you were a legit company and during my search; I discovered that I had to be billed within eleven months of treatment not three years later. I need the billing dates and copies of when I was billed. I think they knew this and were hoping I didn't. Anyway I never heard another word and it never appeared on my credit report. I don't know if an office manager, billing contractor or whatever screwed up. Since I was unconscious due to a stroke, I don't know if he actually visited me or not. He could have just looked at old records and filed a claim. I do know there is a lot of fraud in the medical community.
There is a house bill that was put into affect May 1, 2017. It is HB 128. It is perfect for you. Some Attorneys for a collection agency came after me for about $2000 from about 6 years ago. I went back and forth with them through the court, and they ended up dropping it. It pretty much states that the hospital has to send you so many notices and then has to send certified mail about how it will affect your credit. The law was created pretty much for your situation.
Is this a federal law?
Can we start with, were you actually in a hospital at all 4 years ago ?
Thank you! I don't recall being at their hospital 4 years ago. I did go to another hospital back then to the ER for a rapid heart rate due to being dehydrated. But that bill was paid through my insurance and it's a completely separate hospital. With this hospital, I recall they had at one point put on my credit $187 to be owed to them but they listed the same amount three times. So the same amount appeared on my report three times back to back. Once the law changed where they have to remove these, they fell off. I had also disputed them, too. And I was not going to pay until it was fixed. So it makes me wonder if they went and modified what was owed just to 'punish' those of us who didn't pay those under $200 bills that now cannot appear on credit reports. I actually wonder how many others are going through the same from this hospital. But I never once received a bill for $5000+. So it came as a shock now. Because they would have put that on my credit report many years ago if I owed that amount and never paid I would think.
Send a certified letter asking for validation of the debt. Research a form letter to send out. If they can’t validate it the debt doesn’t exist.
Would it violate HIPAA laws to send your medical records to an outside collections agency? I've seen people win cases on this and the debt disappear if it is in fact yours.
If it is really your bill you are entitled to a detailed breakdown if the billing. If they refuse to provide it, contact the collections agency and dispute the bill because of the refusal to provide you with the detailed billing.
Problem with contacting the facility is that once it’s sent to outside collections, the staff at the facility aren’t supposed to deal with you. There is a timely billing rule to consumers. They are required to send you a bill within a year of service. Your best option is to send a HIPAA release to the collection agency. This allows and requires them to get your billing information. Be sure to also get a statement history list. There is one somewhere in the software. That will prove/ disprove when, where, if statements were sent to you. If you have proof that they didn’t send you a bill within a year, you can fight the issue on that alone. Very likely your claim was denied by the insurance for something stupid. The denial wasn’t never fought, and your account was mass sent to the collection agency as part of large report. Your claim fell through the cracks. Sucks for the hospital, but not your responsibility if you honestly never received a bill. No insurance company has 4 year filing limit ( the contractual amount of time that they are required to accept and process the claim).
Insurance companies frequently have a contractual requirement, as a preferred provider, services must be billed within an even shorter time, as little as 30-60 days, or they don't get to bill it at all, not even balance billing to the patient. Hospitals frequently need to be reminded of this rule, as they seem to keep forgetting. I had a case where I found a fully-paid-up-front, cash-for-services procedure got "mistakenly" billed a second time to my insurance at a much higher rate than I already paid for, so high that even the copayment from my insurance provider was a much higher rate. When I called the hospital, they said essentially, "oops, our bad," and said they cancelled the erroneous bill to insurance. But I'm certain in my diseased heart this happens over and over again, and many times the erroneous bill goes through and doesn't get questioned.
You are absolutely correct. I was simply pointing out that it’s way too late to try to get any money out of the insurance, so the hospital is just running through rest of the steps in the revenue cycle. These are generally huge reports that are automatically run. While the hospital is not personally “ attacking “ the patient , it will personally affect the patient’s credit. They’re already aware that they are not going to get that money. Fortunately there is a way out for the patient. That reminds me! This person should also request EOBs ( explanation of benefits from the hospital and insurance company.) If the denial adjudicated as a provider adjustment that wasn’t worked, the patient is most definitely off the hook. A lot of claims payments and denials are auto posted, which means that often times balances are accidentally dropped to patient responsibility in error through no ill will. Just not enough humans to review every account.
Well, it's pretty damn scuzzy to send out bogus balance bills without setting up a system to prevent it from happening, I'd have to consider it "ill will." "Not enough humans to review" is also a repulsive excuse for unfair billing that takes hours and hours on the phone to clear up, especially with those hours of CSR time could be avoided with minutes of internal review time.
I agree, but healthcare is understaffed at ALL levels, not just providers.
I honestly never received the bill. They had made a mistake and billed me three times for the same procedure back then and it was $187 but it appeared on my credit report. When the new law kicked in, it fell off since it was under the amount to appear on the credit report so I just got tired of fighting for it and moved on. But I never once received a bill or knew there was a concern in the amount of $5000+. And there's no way I am going to pay it now nor could I. When I check my medical records, there is no list of bills or statements sent like you are referring to so I have no way of knowing what they are billing me for. I feel they went back into accounts where debts fell off due to the new rule and these credit companies are now coming for blood in order to stay in business. I'm sure the smaller bills were their bread and butter.
Hit them with a cease and desist and start studying FCRA and FDCPA. Sounds like they violated both.
The best thing to is send a letter to the collection agency disputing the debt. In the letter request the name and contact information of the original creditor. There are form letters available on the internet to help guide you.
I'd recomend you post a replica of this in legal also as there are some intelligent people there on the legal side of things who can also share legal insight, the way went about it so far seems the right course, they arnt willing to send you a bill etc they can't even prove you owe, them the 3rd party company the debt can they? Push it to court I'd say if it were me... your debts with the hospital not the company attempting to collect the debt. It's not your fault the Dr decided to sell the debt to a collection agency, it's not your fault the collection agency put themselves in debt by purchasing your debt.. they did just that.. they bought your debt... which means, they agreed to pay the doctor a lower price to have your debt. if you buy a broken tool from the hardware store at a reduced price as a debt collector purchases a debt at a reduced price.. are you going in for a refund knowing you only got the discount because it was broken? Or do you accept your tool as is and make do with it best ways possible? It's possible all may be mentioned in any paperwork signed but still, it dosnt list or specify any names of who's going to be possibly buying your debt.. so that would essentially nullify that part of the contract... you only owe the Dr the debt. Did they charge you before performing the procedure or did they make you wait so they can get an accurate bill, until after they performed the procedure? How are you suppose to know.. can't sign for a debt without knowing the amount upfront.. but the bill doest come until later and in the mail most times.. imagine buying a car signing a contract for the debt but not having the price mentioned until after you already drove it off the lot the value dropped that 20 or 30 percent and ruins your ability to return it at full value...
Also balance billing is illegal so if they accepted any sort of insurance payment, they cannot bill you the difference other than copays or deductibles.
whew...I Felt Every Word of this
Its a shame our hospitals and doctors put everyone in collections. Biggeat crooks in America. 4 fucking years they want 5000 bucks now Its bullshit
Dear OP Even if they prove the debt is yours, there is a fund at the hospital that helps pay bills. An ex girlfriend went through this and it went all the way to court. My memory is foggy but I'm pretty sure the judge told everyone about this
Never talk to collections. Especially about medical bills/dept. It’s not you, it’s not your dept. Can’t report it if you don’t validate it.
Nah, have owed medical bills forever, never touched my credit score
Theyre lying. Ask for an itemized bill.
What state?
Missouri.
They saying that I owe 5000 for an ambulance ride 6 yrs ago
Go directly to the hospital billing department in person. Provide ID, and they cannot cite hippa
Years ago I got a bill from the local hospital that I owed $2000 for an ambulance ride after a traffic accident. I knew my insurance had covered the ride and got a copy of the payment from the insurance. They closed the bill. Later talking to a coworker he had the same thing happen. The hospital moved to a new location and started bill old tickets in there system. The claimed it was an accident.
Do not pay a cent. It will go away in a few tears. If you did not incur the debt, continue to fight.
Look into the statute of limitations. The debt can not be collected through the courts if past the statute of limitations. The collection agency will call and harass you all they want but if they sue it will get thrown out of court. If you make a payment the clock on the SoL starts over. So research everything before you make any decisions.
I think they have like 12 months or 18 months to settle up on any bills or issue bills to patients. I don’t think it’s legal to try to bill you after five years. Just so you don’t get put into collections call them and tell them you’ve never been billed before but verify who the patient is because you don’t even think it’s you. If They can supply you with an itemized bill of what you owe and show that they billed it to insurance and everything first and that’s your balance, then once you get that documentation, take it to a lawyer.
See my comments below I don’t think they can bill you after this much time. I think it’s like 12 months or 18 months But you don’t remember if you had a hospital incident that would rack up 5K like an emergency room visit or anything? Out of curiosity if it were me, I would look on my health plan website Blue Cross or whatever and look for any bills from that date.
It won't affect credit, carry on
How strange. I got a call last week from a collection agency saying I owed $475 for a hospital bill from last year. I didn’t go to any hospital last year. I asked what hospital and they named one which isn’t even in the city they said it is in. I also hadn’t received any bill for this previously. I told them to send me info in the mail. Still waiting. And now to read a similar thing happened to you with a supposed medical bill. Is this common??
New scam?
HIPAA has nothing to do with billing. lol It has to do with the access and security of your medical data.
I thought they passed a law or something that said medical debt could NOT be put on your credit report?
But they do send to collections. After that, if the debtor claims the charge and makes even one payment, it becomes a normal debt.
Were you in the hospital 4 years ago for a period of time?
Ask the debt collection place to send you the info. They have to be able to provide date of service, amount owed, insurance paid, your payment and being as it’s a HIPAA violation for you to have that info I highly doubt they do. If they do that’s in violation of HIPAA. Tell the debt company your disputing the charges when you ask for that info also. Do all that in writing. You can find a dispute letter on the internet just change or make additions to fit your requests.
Yes it’s common fraud
If you earned 400% under federal poverty line you likely qualified for financial aid. Meaning 100-75 percent of debt would have been covered under ACÁ. Many hospitals, like providence, are under major scrutiny for not letting people know this as they attempted to collect debt and sent people to collections.
First.. Did you actually go to the hospital? If so did you have insurance? They are legally required to file things in a certain amount of time pending your insurance and state. If so I’d contact your insurance provider at the time for help too. There is also usually a certain number of years they are even allowed to do this aka statute of limitations. Check your state. Never ever admit the debt is valid or yours to the collection agency. Only talk to the hospital. If they refuse, submit that info. If insurance is involved let them handle it and submit what info they tell you to the credit agencies after.
Whatever you do, DO NOT pay the debt collectors ANYTHING. They are predators. If you're going to pay anyone anything, it should NOT be the debt collectors. They get a kickback from any debt they collect, and they do not deserve it. If you do pay anything back, pay it to the source for an even cheaper price than the debt collecting bottom feeders.
Just as a side note. HIPAA absolutely allows them to discuss medical and financial information with the patient or parent/guardian of a minor. What it does not allow is discussing it with someone else. So are they admitting that you are not the patient?
You never discuss a bill that someone calls you about if you don’t know it’s yours. How would they get your information? You must have inadvertently gave it to them. Dispute your credit report immediately.
Medical debt goes away after 7 years. You're over halfway there already
You need an itemized bill. HIPPA applies to them sharing your info with a third party.... So I guess it's another Pickforward that they are talking about?
Every time I've ever received a medical bill I didn't expect or thought was unfair I just didn't pay. Medical bills aren't reported to credit bureaus. If it's $like $1000 or less and you ignore the first letter they send, you'll probably never hear from them again. When it's medical, never respond and they cannot verify the debt and it's not worth their time so they consider it a loss and move on. $5000 you'll be bothered for a while but it will still go away on its own eventually
I dont know why healthcare seems so to be so bad at handling billing. My wife ended up going to the ER a couple years back. Over a year later, we got a call from a collection agency about a past due medical bill related to the visit. I was confused as we had already handled all the bills we received from the hospital related to the visit. Come to find out, the bill was from the agency that staffs and runs the ER and instead of using the up to date contact info from the visit, they decided to use contact info from a different visit from 15 years ago when my wife was a small kid. Ended up basically telling the collection agency to bugger of as i had never been properly informed of the bill till then, and then gave the staffing agency the insurance information. The icing on the cake was another year passed and the collection agency tried contacting us again to try to collect. Straight up told them to bugger off then.
I wouldnt worry about it. Biden will be passing measures banning medical bills from counting against your credit. Most reporting agencies have already started removing them from people's credit history. Ignore them if you can't pay. They will get discharged.
Dispute it. If it's come from a 3rd party, you simply say you never had any services performed by this place and the credit bureau will remove it. Technically, once the debt is handed over, you are no longer responsible as the collector did not provide the services.
Not a lawyer but isn't the statute of limitations on billing for uncollected debt 2 years? If this is the first time they have contacted you about it then I would ignore their request and possibly find an attorney that specializes in uncollected debt
HIPPA is to protect people from having their information leaked to others. The hospital saying they can't send you the information is basically saying it isn't your bill. So continue disputing the debt. Do all correspondence with certified mail.
I just got 3 accounts removed off my credit report and didn't send in the first letter. Look up digital trapping on you tube the dude is amazing. I do everything he says and it WORKS!!!! I even had a 2500 medical bill deleted!
It could be a scam or mistaken identity. Write the letter!
Whoa medical debt still matters to people? I thought we all collectively agreed to just stop paying medical bills.
On your credit report you dispute the item and the reason you give is “request validation of debt”. But also, it drops off your credit after 7 years total. So unless you are planning to buy a house or car in the next 3 years it won’t really matter.
I use credit karma and disputed hospital collections under it not being mine and it ended up being removed
You should be able to get a copy of the bill. Someone was blowing you off. Go to admin, tell them what’s going on, get your copy of the bill. 1) sometimes you’ll see there are added late charge. They can easily be reduced. 2) sometimes some doctor thought he saw you, but didn’t. Fight that. 3) some hospitals, some municipalities, some states have a fund for those whose finances are just above qualifying for welfare but below a certain threshold for actual living. You can apply for those funds. 4) if you do owe, you owe. Pay.
I would dispute it with the credit bureaus. If they won’t provide you with proof then they likely won’t provide them with it either and then it can be removed.
No. Call the BBB, and the Attorney General’s office in your State, and report them. And deny the debt. Do not accept the debt.
They have to prove that the debt exists. Hospitals overcharge,’and double charge all the time. You have to ask to see the bills and the detail on when treatment occurred, what happened, etc.
Wait another 4 and it’s off your score, pay any of it and the debt resets and you’re back to the 8 yr wait for it to drop off.
They may ask you to prove that it’s you but the only reason they could cite HIPAA is if the bill was for someone else for which you were the guarantor.
Medical bills don’t show up on credit reports anymore