Hospital Debt Turned Over to Collections

by KC
(Iowa)

I had surgery in Nov. 2008 and have been making payments since. We paid what we could afford from $300 to $50, it has now been placed with a collecting agency and they had way too much of my information like how many credit cards we have and even my balances that are owed! How is that legal? And is it common practice to turn a debt over even though the debt is being paid on or if it is legal?