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Medical Debt Collection Laws Article
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What Happens during the Collection of Debt?
If you have debts to pay for your credit cards, student loans, mortgages or car payments, you should be diligent about making the required payments. If you repeatedly miss payments, your account may be turned over to an agency for the collection of debt.
Once your creditor has grown tired of pursuing you for payments, the collection agency will assume all the responsibilities related to the collection of debt. The collection agency will contact you to inform you that it will handle your account. Within five days from the time of contact, the collection agency will send you details regarding the collection of debt. The agency will mail or fax a written document with information about the amount of money you owe, the company you owe it to and the actions it will take if you do not make payment.
The process of collection of debt may start with a phone call, an email, a fax message or regular mail. Sometimes, the collection agency may even visit you at your home. However, keep in mind that collection agencies are not allowed to contact you before 8:00 am or after 9:00 pm. This ensures that communication happens at a time that is convenient for the debtor. Also, the collection agency is not allowed to call you incessantly or flood your mailbox with numerous emails. Such a behavior may be considered harassment.
In the course of the collection of debt, there are practices that should be avoided by the representatives of the collection agency. These include:
1) Use of threat of force, violence or harm.
2) Use of obscene and profane language.
3) Use of racial slurs, and other insults
4) False representation – the collector cannot lead the debtor to think that he has legal powers or that his actions are mandated by the government
5) Solicitation of extra fees and charges
Moreover, the collection of debt is a process that should work for both the collector and the debtor. While the debt collector has the right to pursue you for payment, you also have the right to dispute his claim. If you have reason to believe that the debt is not yours or that the amount indicated is incorrect, you may write a letter to the collection agency. This letter should be filed within 30 days of the time of contact between you and the collection agency. Also, if you want the collector to stop calling you, you can send a letter requesting that all communication be done via regular mail.
In the process of the collection of debt, you are allowed to contact the debt collector and request for changes in your payment plan. You may ask him to reduce the amount or to allow you to make more installments over a longer period of time. This gives the collector the guarantee that you will pay since the newly-negotiated rates are more affordable to you.
Medical Debt Collection Laws Specific links
Medical Debt Collection Laws News
Hospital Debt Collection A Symptom Of A Sick Health Care System - Huffington Post
Hospital Debt Collection A Symptom Of A Sick Health Care System Huffington Post Aggressive debt collection stems from larger failings of the US health care system. No one at the hospital ever said Bruce Folken's medical care would suffer if he didn't pay up, but it sure felt that way. Folken, 62, went to Fairview Ridges Hospital ... |
Tony Mira: Collecting Payments from Anesthesia and Pain Medicine Patients - Becker's ASC Review
Tony Mira: Collecting Payments from Anesthesia and Pain Medicine Patients Becker's ASC Review He or she also happens to be protected by the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act and state law; medical practices should be familiar with these limits on collection activities. It is also the case that many anesthesiologists and pain physicians ... |
In Congress, a Move to Look Into a Medical Debt Collector - New York Times
 Chicago Tribune | In Congress, a Move to Look Into a Medical Debt Collector New York Times A California representative is calling for an investigation into Accretive Health, one of the nation's largest collectors of medical debt, for potentially violating a federal law that requires hospitals to provide emergency care regardless of ... Ascension Health's ties to embattled debt collector Debt collectors sued by Minnesota as they stake out the ER Accretive Health chairman has debt-collection history |
Tobin Northrup, Sick Ohio Man, Selling 'Cool Aid' For $1000 To Pay Medical Bills - Huffington Post
Tobin Northrup, Sick Ohio Man, Selling 'Cool Aid' For $1000 To Pay Medical Bills Huffington Post The FTC charged Rincon and six other debt collection agencies for trying to collect money from people who didn't actually owe any money use of threats and insults. 85-year-old Anne Sessions spent hours in the hospital incurring a $1055 medical bill ... |
CMS investigates hospital debt collection for EMTALA violation - FierceHealthcare
 KUNM | CMS investigates hospital debt collection for EMTALA violation FierceHealthcare "Upon hearing reports of the debt collection activities at Fairview, CMS sent in state surveyors to determine if there were violations of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act," Patti Unruh, US Department of Health & Human Services spokesperson ... Accretive Health Hires Mike Leavitt, Ex-Bush Cabinet Member, In Bid To Restore ... |