Hospital Bill 10 Years Old

by Carol
( indiana)

The hospital is Indiana and the bill is a little over 10 years old. The hospital cannot produce an itemized billing statement for the charges.

Daughter-in-law does not remember what this if for and it was not explained. Hospital states they have the right to start collection at any point in time.

Is this true?

Comments for Hospital Bill 10 Years Old

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Mar 23, 2010
 medical debt in Indiana
by: Gerri

As you probably already know, the statute of limitations for consumer debts varies both by state and by type of debt. According to my sources, the statute of limitations for most types of debts in Indiana is six years. If the statute of limitations on this debt have indeed expired, and the hospital took you to court to collect, you could show up and tell the judge that the debt is too old, and they would lose their case.

However, in some states there is a different statute of limitations for medical debts, and in a few states collectors can come directly after property to collect on a medical debt, so I would strongly recommend you talk with a consumer law attorney to make sure you understand the laws that apply in this situation. I personally wouldn't just take the hospital's word on this - I would definitely do my homework.

You can talk with a consumer law attorney with experience in debt collection cases. Learn how to get low cost or FREE legal help with your debt collection problem here.

The other question you'll need to address is whether the hospital owes you an itemized list of charges for this debt. That would also be a question for the attorney.

I am sorry that these answers aren't always readily available. Mary and I simply don't have the resources to keep up with every law in every state as this site is a free service we share with consumers in an effort to get the word out about our books. We would appreciate it, though, if you would share what you learn in the comments section below. It may help other consumers struggling with the same problem.

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