Hospital Collection - Why Chat Please Help

[tyabeau2]

I have a hospital bill of $3500. Collection has been disputed and verified. I have been paying off and on, when I have the money, for two years (to the hospital ONLY). My husband and I both acquired second jobs and we are now ready to tackle this collection and get it off my CR. We will have all of the money by April of next year at the latest.

 

My Questions:

Should I just save up the money and make one payment to the OC with the HIPAA letter? OR

Should I start paying what I gather monthly to the OC and make the last payment using the HIPAA letter?

 

My fear is the hospital suing me for the money before I get all of it together.

 

I will have over $1000 by August to put towards this bill.

 

I have already tried to talk to the hospital about retracting the bill from the CA once it's paid off, but they refuse.

 

This is my last doctor bill from my hospital stay and of course my biggest.

 

Thank you in advance!

 

[Why Chat]

Follow the guides:

http://www.whychat.5u.com/GUIDEBOOK.html

http://www.whychat.5u.com/GUIDE%20HIPAA%20PROGRAM.html

 

Your initial dispute letter to the CRAs may get you a deletion.

 

How EXACTLY were you making payments to the OC??

Are you getting receipts from the OC with a declining balance?? Do your credit reports reflect the correct balance due??

 

Were you insured?? If so do you have your EOMBs ( explanation of medical benefits) from your insurance?

 

I doubt VERY MUCH that the reporting CA has any current relationship to the OC. It is more than likely that once the OC collected the CORRECT balance due ( discounted amount) they wrote off the balance and it was dumped to a CA.

[tyabeau2]

I have went through the WhyChat way completing each step and the CA sent me back a statement from the hospital verifying the debt as mine. I am making $50 payments per month online to the hospital directly. Yes I had/have insurance and this is my remaining balance owed. The insurance and I went round and round until they got the balance correct. I want to pay it off using insert a, but I don't have all the money now, should I not send them anymore money and collect all the money, start over with the WhyChat way and then insert a, or should I continue to pay monthly and on my last payment send the letter with insert a. I have already had a lawyer CA call. I refused to talk to them. They haven't called back and the Lawyer CA is not on my CR. I also have realized looking at my CR that every payment I make to the OC reflects on the CA on my CR.

 

This is the last bill from my 11 day hospital stay and of course the only bad thing on my CR and since it is so high, really hurting my CR. I just want it off. Please help guide me on how to do that. The way I have it planned and figured that I should have all the money by April at the latest.

 

Please help.

[Why Chat]

You say the balance showing on your reports reflect the declining balance from your payments.?

 

You say the amount you owe shows on your EOMBs as balance owed "patient responsibility"??

 

Is this amount your deductible and co-pays ONLY based on the DISCOUNTED amount your insurance allowed?

[tyabeau2]

Balance showing on reports reflect the declining balance from payments? Yes

 

Balance on EOMBs as patient responsibility correct? Yes, after months of going round and round the amount owed is correct

 

Amount deductible and copays ONLY based on DISCOUNTED amount your insurance allowed correct? YES - backstory, put in hospital for 11 days, transferred from one hospital to another after four days. This bill is the first hospital bill, second hospital paid in full. After all done and insurance paid and discounted, my maximum yearly out of pocket insurance allowed is $5000 per year. All other bills agreed to what I could pay, except the hospital. Total bill was $3800, now down to $3500 due to payments already made. Both my husband and I took on 2nd jobs to get this paid, we are pinching pennies and every extra dime we have will go towards this bill.

[Why Chat]

Keep on paying as best you can, there is nothing that can help you at this point except for you to default on the payments, which will really not help. At some point the CA ( who is obviously in a current relationship with the OC) will have the balance of the account completely assigned to them and the hospital will stop accepting payments, this usually occurs after about 12-24 Months after the date of medical service.

 

What was your date of service??

[tyabeau2]

Date of service was 2/1/2012. Thanks. They are still accepting payments. Your thoughts...Is there no way to get this collection off the CR?

[Why Chat]

I don't think so at this point. You entered into an agreement with the hospital and they are properly reporting to their collection service the ongoing payments and balance due. Is it reporting as a COLLECTION account in the "derogatory" section??

 

If so, you MAY be able to do something about it.

 

You need to dispute it with the initial dispute letter

http://whychat.5u.com/hipaadisp.html

and see what happens. ( after opting out and deleting old addresses)

http://www.whychat.5u.com/GUIDEBOOK.html

http://www.whychat.5u.com/GUIDE%20HIPAA%20PROGRAM.html

[tyabeau2]

Yes. It is still showing as a collection. The deal with this is I have been paying for two years. I didn't realize this one was sent to CA until after it was sent and I have still been paying on it. The CA NEVER sent me a letter. How I found out was we were trying to obtain credit for a car when ours was totaled in an accident. This is the only bad thing on my CR.

 

Upon going through the process again do I continue to pay the OC or gather the money together and pay using insert A when that part comes?

Edited July 22, 2014 by tyabeau2

[Why Chat]

Yes. It is still showing as a collection. The deal with this is I have been paying for two years. I didn't realize this one was sent to CA until after it was sent and I have still been paying on it. The CA NEVER sent me a letter. How I found out was we were trying to obtain credit for a car when ours was totaled in an accident. This is the only bad thing on my CR.

 

Upon going through the process again do I continue to pay the OC or gather the money together and pay using insert A when that part comes?

Let's see what happens when you send the initial dispute letter. How exactly have you been paying the OC?? If you have been paying by check-- look to see who is actually depositing the check.

 

You MIGHT want to consider sending your next payment to the OC in the form of a money order with the endorsement on the back "for deposit only account of(name of OC)

[tyabeau2]

I will try that.

 

I have been paying using the Hospital Online Payment site. I will start paying by money order from now on. I haven't made this months payment yet.

[Why Chat]

Does the online site do a direct deduction from your checking account?? If so, how does it show up on your statement.

If you pay by credit card, how is it showing on your credit card statement.

 

If it is the HOSPITAL that is shown to have received the payments, then you can continue to use the online system, if it shows the name of the CA, then switch to money orders.

[tyabeau2]

The payment is deducted from my checking account using my debit card. It shows the hospital receiving the payment. I'll continue as I am doing. I will also start the WhyChat way again.

 

Thank you so much for your help with this.