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Usually years, lawyers cost money. IF they decide to sue then you would need a lawyer asap. A lot of times the judgment is less then what the collector would have gotten if they would have played ball with the OP.

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The price you're quoting is likely for the drug alone. That doesn't count the labor costs, overhead and other supplies. The debt collection likely bought that debt for pennies on the dollar and the longer it goes they will likely be willing to accept less. Why not offer to settle for $10,000? Did you not qualify for Medicaid since you didn't have health insurance?

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Collection agency can do that?  OP didn't do business with them

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Good evening all. One of my first threads after discovering the GD section, if not THE first thread I made in here, was a thread discussing how I got treated for rabies and was hit with an astronomical bill by the hospital. Since that was around September of last year I will just cliff note what transpired, and where things are at now.

-September or so of 2022 I am bit by dog.
-Unware of status of dog or owner
-For my well being I elect to get rabies vaccines
-Only place I am aware of who administers rabies treatment is hosptail
-Go to ER day after bite occurred
-I did not have health insurance
-Doctor administers rabies immunoglobulin around bite area
-Nurse administers rabies shot and tetanus shot
-Process takes about 45 minutes (Wait in ER room was probably 3 hours)
-Over course of next few weeks I am given 3 additional shots by nurses via outpatient center in different part of hospital (takes about 20 minutes per visit)
-Month or so after all of this, bill arives in the amount of 1000 and some change, they reduce it to 900 and change since I paid in full via credit card
-Several months later out of the blue I am floored when a second bill arrives, totaling $34,000
- I immediately contact billing department, talk to employee, they tell me all they can do is offer me monthly payments of $1200 per month
-I ask about settling for a lump sum, she gives me fax number, I fax over an offer
-Hospital never replies regarding offer
-I contact billing department, ask them for itemized bill, and later ask them to audit bills to confirm amounts
-I inform billing department that average cost for this treatment is $3000-$7000 , why TF are they charging me so much
-Second bill eventually arrives, for additional $10,000
-Billing department says bill is correct, "thats how much they charge."
-I file complaint with Illinois Surgeon General Office
-I create thread in GD asking for help
-Overwhelming number of members here advise not paying them a cent, they cannot collect on anything, I am being ripped off, etc.
-3 months go by and I hear nothing from hospital , or Surgeon General Office
-Get random email from woman at hospital stating she wanted to discuss settling my accounts last week (3/23)
-I call and talk to her, they would accept $25,0000 to settle my $43,000 in debt
-I explain to lady average cost for this treatment is $3000-$7000, and ill " think about it."
-Today (3/21/2023) I receive a random unmarked letter, inside is a letter from a debt collection agency, claiming my balance is $49,000 , but I owe them $34,000

So that is where I am currently at. It is my understanding, based on the good people of this forum, as well as a friend, that they cannot do anything to steal my money or take the house I am a co-signee on. It is also my understanding that per Illinois law, it is no longer legal to damage a persons credit if they have medical debt.

With all of that said, what say you?
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See if your current insurance can help you negotiate the usual rates for the services you received.  This is a closely guarded secret of the hospital and it is difficult to negotiate with the hospital as an individual.  They are too powerful and they know it.

I was recently hospitalized for one night.  The bill was $54K.  That is the hospital’s dream payment and it rarely materializes.  My health share plan knows the going-rates and cut them a check for $14K.  They snatched it up and my bill was adjusted to $0.

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See if your current insurance can help you negotiate the usual rates for the services you received.  This is a closely guarded secret of the hospital and it is difficult to negotiate with the hospital as an individual.  They are too powerful and they know it.

I was recently hospitalized for one night.  The bill was $54K.  That is the hospital's dream payment and it rarely materializes.  My health share plan knows the going-rates and cut them a check for $14K.  They snatched it up and my bill was adjusted to $0.

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Yep the whole situation is a cluster fuk. Essentially the hospital will let you walk in, run up an enormous bill, not divulge any pricing, then slap you with the bill.

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Correct. You want some screwed up advice? If you ever go to the ER, give them fake information. I have customers who did this. Guy was a gang banger in chicago when he was a teen, got shot in leg, went to hospital and gave them fake info...... never paid a cent.

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I would have had no issue paying a reasonable amount. Based on this whole debacle, the hosptial could charge someone 200k for giving them an aspirin then drag them through all of the bullshit hoping you fold and just pay them. This is absurd.

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I faxed them over an offer of $15,000 to settle the debt back in November. They just acknowledged that fax a week ago when they reached out to me to discuss a settlement.

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The hospital already sold the debt.  They have been paid that debt amount is $0.

OP now owes a collector who purchased the debt.  Insurance has left the building.

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I did a google search of the company who sent me a letter. A bunch of negative reviews about them being scammers. Do you think the hospital would have sold the debt a mere week after offering me 25k to settle the debt? Would my 15k offer have been a better deal than selling the debt?

I honestly think something fishy is going on. The debt people claimed I owe 49k, I only owe 43k..... Seems weird.

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Hospital billing is absolutely insane.

EDs, ambulances, Medflights, and any "emergency" medical care is cripplingly expensive without healthcare.

I am not an expert in billing/law, but I was always under the impression that delinquency on medical bills cannot legally affect credit score.  Unpaid debts may be leveraged against your "estate."  Again, IANAL and I am not an expert in this area.

Healthcare is extraordinarily expensive to offset the overwhelming number of people without insurance and/or who do not pay their bills.  Despite being "not-for-profit" entities, hospitals are there to profit, make more money every year, and pay a select (small) group of people huge sums of money (salaries).

Unfortunately, you electively visited an ED and had services rendered.  Now the hospital is looking for payment, albeit an extraordinary amount, for their rendered services.

I wish you the best of luck.  Talk to a lawyer, a local news outlet, whoever you need to.  The hospital ain't going bankrupt due to one patient's (your) bill.  Lord knows hospitals are full of free-care FSA-types who are there for some Dilaudid, Ginger ale, and a stale turkey sandwich.  It's an unfortunate circumstance, but that's American healthcare.  For better or worse.

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I'm pretty sure I posted about it before but I went through exactly the same shots you had with the first visit being a ER visit because that's
where my primary care doctor told me to go . Total bill was 14 k

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Send the debt collector a request of verification of debt (I didn't look but I am betting it's in the link that BabaYaga22 provided earlier).  They must send verifiable documentation that proves the debit that they are trying to collect is legitimate.  

I am just a guy who has been through it once, yaga seems like he knows his shit well. If I was going to take internet advice on this matter, I would do what he says.

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I did a google search of the company who sent me a letter. A bunch of negative reviews about them being scammers. Do you think the hospital would have sold the debt a mere week after offering me 25k to settle the debt? Would my 15k offer have been a better deal than selling the debt?

I honestly think something fishy is going on. The debt people claimed I owe 49k, I only owe 43k..... Seems weird.

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This is an interesting idea. Would they do that?

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I had a gentleman from a different forum tell me his bill totaled a little over 1k. It is blatantly obvious they are ripping me off. The vaccines and immunoglobulin are both old technology, and they were administered by a run of the mill nurse in my shoulder, like any other shot. Funny how the COVID shot is free, considering it just came out and was done so under emergency circumstances.

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Sounds like you have no idea what's going on.

You aren't taking the advice given to you or asking the right questions.

You should get off GD and call a civil attorney tomorrow. He/she could save your ass from making a life altering mistake here.

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Just sent an email to surgeon generals office inquiring as to why no one got back to me.


On that note, I am gong to bed. Thank you everyone for the advice.

Special thanks to Baba for the professional input.

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I did a google search of the company who sent me a letter. A bunch of negative reviews about them being scammers. Do you think the hospital would have sold the debt a mere week after offering me 25k to settle the debt? Would my 15k offer have been a better deal than selling the debt?

I honestly think something fishy is going on. The debt people claimed I owe 49k, I only owe 43k..... Seems weird.

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It’s all facts, I have used the attached template successfully before. Please bookmark, being in collections is a normal life thing to experience. My goal here to to demystify it and give everyone some basic advice and options.

@SquatchAv8

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The price you're quoting is likely for the drug alone. That doesn't count the labor costs, overhead and other supplies. The debt collection likely bought that debt for pennies on the dollar and the longer it goes they will likely be willing to accept less. Why not offer to settle for $10,000? Did you not qualify for Medicaid since you didn't have health insurance?

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No useful suggestions.

My first thought is to pay up, get a lawyer, or enjoy a 580 fico for the next 8 years, but I don't know.

I've been through the ER ringer.

Unless I'm literally dying or bleeding out,  I'll wait to contact my PCP on monday....

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No, it's not.

OP, why didn't you have insurance?

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Collection agency can do that?  OP didn’t do business with them

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I doubt anyone has anything nice to say about debt collection agencies.

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I got a call one day from a person with an accent that I could barely understand, making not nice threats. I had no fucking clue what they were talking about.

.

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You got bit by someones little dog and went to the hospital.

Hospital is to get your heart pumping again.

It's not like it was a racoon stumbling around, missing half it's hair and frothing from the mouth.

I got bit all the time riding my bike as a kid from neighborhood dogs.

Hospitals suck, sorry you couldn't pass the ridiculous bill on to the dog owner.

I did not have health insurance