Yes, it can. Typically hospital bills are due soon after service is provided and bills that go unpaid are sent to collections eventually and if they are still not paid, the consumers who owe the money are often sued and end up with their wages garnished, money taken from their bank accounts and/or liens on their assets. Furthermore, hospitals have no legal obligation to give you a specific amount of time to pay your bill if you can't pay it when it's due. Therefore, the hospital that cared for you is entitled to tell you that you have a year and no more time. Many hospitals would not be that generous.
If you do not have the money to pay what you owe, you have some options, medical debt collection. One of them is to contact the hospital to try to work out a monthly payment plan. However, if your outstanding bill is very large, you may not be able to pay each month as much as would be required to clear up your debt in a year.
If there is no way that you can possibly pay off your debt in that time frame, another option is to schedule a free initial evaluation with a bankruptcy attorney. Filing will wipe out all or most of your unsecured debt, including medical debt. However, bankruptcy has serious consequences for your finances and is not right for everyone. Also, do not try to handle your own bankruptcy! It's a very complicated process and best left to a pro. For more information about bankruptcy, I recommend that you read this: how to file for bankruptcy.
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