I have a unique *urgent* situation!

[theshoediva]

So I got rear ended last summer and went to the ER the following day. The docs had me fill out a form where I provided the at fault driver's insurance company, adjuster name and *, and claim #. I gave the hospital all of this info before I left the ER. Well, why it took them several months to even bill the insurance company is beyond me. So all of the bureaucratic drama has left me with a bill with a CA.

 

Fast forward to a few weeks ago, I get a call from the CA telling me I owe them this money. After a (I know, I know...I should have known better) heated exchange I called the Hospital's billing department to learn that the account had just gone to the CA and that I had 90 days before any action (reporting to the credit burea) would take place. Good, I thought. That will give me time to light a fire under the driver's insurance company or my own insuranc company, for that matter, to handle this.

 

At any rate, to buy me some more time I figured I would DV the CA since the person I spoke with threatened to report to the CRAs THAT DAY. So I send a DV CMRRR. Well, Equifax has just alerted that these fools have reported the debt, which by the way is still within that 90 day window the Hospital's billing dept claimed I would be okay in. So, I'm imagining that the CA is just pissed off.

 

Side Note: The Hospital informed me when I spoke to them the week before last that I could pay them directly within that 90 day window and not have to worry about the CA.

 

Question: What do I do now? I'm assuming that the same FCDPA laws that apply to other CAs apply to this one even though its for a medical bill. So I have them on one $1K fine, because they reported AFTER I DV'd them...RIGHT? Should I proceed with WhyChat's Hippa Letter to the CRA and in the meantime pay the Hospital? WHAT SHOULD I DO NEXT????? Its for less than $200, so I have the money. I know I should have just paid it back when I was on the phone with the billing folks, but thats no guarantee that the CA wouldn't have still done this. Argh!

 

HELP!!!

Edited March 10, 2008 by theshoediva

[theshoediva]

WHYCHAT I NEED YOUR HELP

[jpalmer]

Your best bet is to follow Why Chat's HIPAA letters, dispute it with the CRA using the special dispute letter. then if it comes back verified/valid, continue with the HIPAA letter with insert (a) enclose a money order to the OC with the limited endoresement (as detailed in whychats site) and continue from there.

[theshoediva]

But what about the Hospital's Billing Dept claiming that if I pay within the 90 days I won't have to worry about it? If I pay them directly NOW I can potentially avoid this dilemma. Would it be worthwhile to contact the OC and ask them for a PFD letter in exchange for payment? I'm concerned that if I wait for the process of doing WHYCHAT's process that I'll double screw myself.