Paying medical bills

by Don
(Las Vegas,Nv)

After being hospitalized for 2 days I started receiving doctor, lab and hospital bills. I was discounted on my hospital bill due to no insurance. I have for the last 2 months been paying $50 a month on the balance of $7800. The Dr. and med bills avg. btwn $400 and $900. I have been paying $25 a month to each for two months now. Now they are sending final bills and threat of collections. After 2 years unemployed and just finding work the struggle is enormous. What are my legal rights as long as I continue to pay the small amounts?

Comments for Paying medical bills

Click here to add your own comments

Jan 10, 2012
 Paying medical bills
by: Debtcollectionanswers.com

Unfortunately, you cannot decide for yourself how much you will pay each month on your medical debts. In order to pay the debts over time, you must negotiate written payment arrangements with each provider. Without such plans in place, the providers are likely to do exactly what they have done to you -- let you know that if you don't pay up right away, your debts will be sent to collections -- and they are legally entitled to do that.

If your debts have not been sent to collections yet, it may not be too late to try to negotiate payment arrangements with each provider. Otherwise, you can try to negotiate those arrangements with the collection agency/ies that have the debts. Be sure not to agree to pay more than you can afford however and if you are able to negotiate payment plans, get the terms of the plans in writing before you pay anything.

Given the amount of money you owe and the fact that you've been unemployed for some time, you may want to explore whether bankruptcy is a good option for you. Depending on the kind of bankruptcy you file, you will either be able to wipe out your medical debt or you will get time to pay off the debt under the protection of the bankruptcy court and it's likely that the amounts that you owe will be reduced. However, I am not a bankruptcy attorney and therefore, I cannot tell you if bankruptcy is right for you. If you want to explore that option, go here to schedule a free initial evaluation with a bankruptcy attorney. I also recommend that you learn more about the bankruptcy process, how to file for bankruptcy. In addition, I think you should read our information about dealing with medical debts. Our article, medical debt collection reviews all of your options for resolving medical debt and provides other information about medical debt. Good luck!

Click here to add your own comments

Return to Medical Debt Collection Questions.

Learn how debt collection laws can help you!
This website does not provide legal advice.
All information is for educational purposes only.
Copyright 2007 - 2018 by Mary Reed and Gerri Detweiler.
All rights reserved.
Read our Privacy Policy here