ULPT Request: Medical Bills. Is it true that you can pay a small amount each month and the provider can't use you for the rest?
Posted by jhang10@reddit | UnethicalLifeProTips | View on Reddit | 104 comments
Due to an untimely trip to the ER, we owe a few thousand dollars to them. Someone advised me that as long as you pay SOMETHING towards the debt that they would not be able to sue me for the full amount. Is this true?
Also, I have heard there was a law passed that does not allow medical debt to impact credit scores. Is this true too?
frozenthorn@reddit
Definitely get an itemized bill, challenge most of it, and then work out a payment plan for the rest. They know sending to collections is a wash, most hospitals will try and help you avoid that if you try.
stranded_egg@reddit
Not trying to be combative, genuinely curious: I tried this once, and got--an itemized bill, with no reduction in price. (Almost always, this tip is followed by a cheeky "They'll balk and reduce your bill to almost nothing!!!!") There was nothing on the bill I could challenge, or at least, nothing I felt I had a leg to stand on in challenging.
They also told me the lowest they could do for a payment plan was whatever it would be to pay it off in six months--none of this "$20/month" stuff. My payments were up around 600 or so or I'd be sent to collections. I did not qualify for any of their assistance or forgiveness programs.
Was I just unlucky with the hospital I was at, or was there something more I should have done?
frozenthorn@reddit
Without seeing the bill and knowing your specifics I don't think anyone could truly say there was nothing you could have done or you should have done more, it's something that has already happened and we'll just have to hope you did what you could.
With that said, I've got experience on both sides of the issue, both in billing practices at hospitals and later working directly for an attorney general for the state. Well I guess three sides, because I also have had medical bills in the past and worked with many family and friends to help sort out high medical bills from generally brief hospital visits.
Business practices will vary widely based on what they can get away with in the jurisdiction that they operate. However, my experience has suggested that the majority of hospitals would much rather get something than nothing, and believe me they often get nothing or very little of the actual bill when they have to "go after" the patient for the payments.
You have to look at the big picture, more than 90% of Americans have health insurance, while some insurance companies end up not paying what you expect them to, any hospital's biggest income revenue stream is insurance claims. About 65% of that is private health insurance, and 28% public healthare like Medicaid.
The rest end up in the bill me later system which is what we're ultimately talking about. Because the cost of just about everything is inflated for insurance billing purposes, You can generally negotiate a high bill for an uninsured patient. There's typically high priced things on the bill that just shouldn't be that expensive, I've seen $12 for an "Advil for patients Mother", It wasn't a bottle that you can get at CVS, It was a single 200mg tablet, not even a full adult dose (400mg) lol
If you find yourself in a situation again where you have to battle a bill, The thing you really want to make clear is you aren't trying to get out of payment, but they aren't being realistic, they can either work with you now or spends thousands to try and recover from you later.
Make it clear there's no way you can pay the bill off in a 6-month window and that they can make an exception for anything they want to. In many cases if you just start sending a payment of $50 a month, they will stop asking you. I've seen several patients do this and just start getting an automatic statement in the mail.
My Dad died with like 80k in medical debt, or the equivalent of a couple days in the hospital 😆 and he paid $20 a month for 10 years prior to his death,they also told him something crazy like he would have 12 months to pay and they couldn't extend a payment plan longer.
The reality was they accepted the $20 a month and stopped reaching out at all, somebody's boss told them to move on. They really can't afford to keep thousands of open files with regular follow-ups. Some companies will try to do this through automated means but generally speaking medical claims and billing is firmly planted in the past still.
stranded_egg@reddit
I understand what you're saying, but I want to point out that this was not a "bill me later, I don't have insurance" thing, this was my co-pay after insurance. Insurance paid their 80% and my 20% was ~$4000 that they wanted me to pay within 6 months and the would hear nothing about anything different. If I paid less than my ~$600/month payment, or was late with a payment, I was threatened with collections.
(I might be misremembering slightly--I may have talked them into a year of payments to get my monthly increments to $300/month--but still, I was told if I paid anything less, my account would be sent to collections.)
Moist_Cabbage8832@reddit
Then tell them to go fuck themselves and let it go to collections.
bemused_alligators@reddit
Then let it go to collections and just don't pay the collections agency. The hospital won't have you listed as owing them anymore as a bonus.
frozenthorn@reddit
That's a common tactic in situations where they have really nothing to lose, insurance paying 80% covered more than their expenses. It's not legal advice but I would just generally ignore demands to pay x amount or go-to collections, yes it's possible they send it if you don't meet their ransom demands but I'm my experience it has been notably uncommon. They are generally inclined to just accept less and do like Elsa and let it go.
Frontline-witchdoc@reddit
They're trying to bully you. You can't challenge the individual items in their entirety, but you can try to call them out on their gouging. I haven't had to face it yet, but I've been told that you should insist that your only willing to pay as much as they accept from insurance companies for the same things, which is usually about a third of what they bill individuals.
I have an example of egregious gouging from over 30 years ago. A guy I worked with whose wife was hospitalized got the itemized bill. There was a $200 charge for a "mucus absorption kit". They racked their brains for a while trying to figure out what that was, until they realized that they were being charged $200 for a box of Kleenex.
stranded_egg@reddit
I don't recall all the items now (this was something like 6 or 7 years ago) but almost all the lines were, like, "$doctor, X hours...........$xxx.xx" or "$exam room, X hours..................$xxx.xx". I don't recall consumable items like medications, bandages, tissues, etc. It was labor, not parts, to make a comparison.
Frontline-witchdoc@reddit
I guess it's something to keep in mind for the future at this point. Hopefully you won't need to worry about it. Just keep in mind that the medical provider industry in America is now devoted gouging their customers, and should be dealt with that in mind. It's a good idea to let them know that you know what they're up to when dealing with them, and they'll be more likely to bargain with you just to get rid of you, especially if you do it in person.
T_Dad23@reddit
Same! Hit the out of pocket max and hospital was willing to extend our timeframe from 11 months to 22 months. They didn’t understand why I couldn’t come up with an extra nearly $1000 per month
skiller1nc@reddit
Yeah your experience mirrors my own.
smithwesson586@reddit
I was paying 50 a month on a bill and the hospital tried that 5-600 a month mandatory payment crap and threatened collections. I told the person I'm a sole income for a family of four with income low enough my kids got free lunch and medical card. You can take 50 or wait for the judge to offer 10 or nothing. They never turned me over or called again. Paid the bill off on my terms
frozenthorn@reddit
Agreed that has been my experience as well. There's a lot of people that just don't want to pay, and have no financial problem doing so, so their default setting is going to be generally one of pay me pay me pay me.
I've rarely seen a billing department not cave to accommodate a patient that is making the effort even if it's only a small payment.
portlandcsc@reddit
Was charged 2 hours pre-op and 2 hours post op. Door to door for this hand surgery was 3 hours. I challenged the whole bill line item by line item. I now show a zero balance, never paid a penny. BTW the billing dept. said "we tend to round up".
zamfire@reddit
Well homey don't play that, I tend to slap a ho
1quirky1@reddit
That should be criminal fraud.
jhang10@reddit (OP)
I will definitely do that. Do you just call the billing department for the itemized bill?
frozenthorn@reddit
Yes. Call The building department, some hospitals will require a written request, but you can find out one way or the other by calling them. If they require a written request you can do it in person or mail it to them, sometimes the forms are available on their website.
Just make sure to be clear that you want an itemized bill, with details of every charge, If they for some reason give you a hard time about it let them know you'll be calling your states attorney general and the state health department. It is your right to an itemized bill, and showing them you know the appropriate escalation path will generally improve their attitude if encountered.
Frontline-witchdoc@reddit
I'd advise to visit in person, and get directed to the office of whomever deals with customer payments.
Go in hot, not to the point of yelling like a nutjob, just enough to make them believe things could go south if they piss you off.
If you can make them want to get rid of you just to get you out of their hair, they will likely give you the best deal that they're authorized to make.
People often make the mistake of letting them fool you into believing that the provider's rates are set in stone. Their job is to gouge you. In actual supply costs alone they will gladly charge you five or more times what they pay. For procedures the will bill you three or more times what they will accept from an insurance company.
jhang10@reddit (OP)
Great, that is very valuable information. Thank you for your response!
mistletoebeltbuckle_@reddit
and be patient, no pun intended. Do not feel pressured to make a move because of threatening language on their part. You are making moves to pay any debt that you rightly owe and not one penny more.
frank00SF@reddit
My doctor just told me the other night you can pay them 1$ a month and legally they can send you to collections.
Working_Asparagus_59@reddit
Doesn’t effect credit in the USA thanks to Joe Biden anymore. So just don’t pay anything 🤗
Ok-Koala-key@reddit
I'm from the rest of the world so a trip to emergency is free but what negative outcomes might there be if everyone refused to pay in the US?
Working_Asparagus_59@reddit
It’s be impossible to assemble, we’re all split in half as group somehow unfortunately ! Wish we could organize
Ok-Koala-key@reddit
Yeah, I often think that the "United" states would be better served by splitting into halves - one progressive, one conservative.
Ceruleangangbanger@reddit
They learn the hard way to change it like every other country
Jaxager@reddit
Yep. Thank you, Biden!
jhang10@reddit (OP)
Though it doesn't impact credit, my long term worry would be that they could still sue and potentially garnish wages for it😅
lewtus72@reddit
I would call them up and work out a deal. I had a medical procedure done and they offered 0% deal. I didn't even ask for it. I said why would I even pay them? I just pay a monthly bill. I would negotiate the price first and drive the price down before you negotiate any payment plan. They're notorious for overcharging and I would fight that for his long as I could. Once you come to a number to agree on, they will offer you some kind of deal to pay it
You're correct on garnishing my ex-wife had a ambulance bill and they ended up garnishing my pay even though I was divorced from her and they went after the full amount and they got it.
thejesterofdarkness@reddit
The problem is that was the ambulance company. They are notorious for going after people. John Oliver did a segment on them.
lewtus72@reddit
... Yes they are pains. I can vouch for that. My ex-wife called an ambulance and I said screw that I'm driving you. They insisted on coming over. I said well I won't be here when you get here. I pass them on the way to the hospital. But at least I didn't get another $1,500 bill
Spirited_Try_7456@reddit
When I was sued (almost 15k), I waited for the court appointment and as I was sitting outside the court room, a rep from the company came out and asked me if I'd settle out of court for a monthly payment. We agreed on $20 a month. This was years ago, so I can't say the same will work for you.
OTOH, a friend told me that they allow their debts go to collections and then negotiates lowering what is owed, then pays that. They told me they've gotten between 20% and 50% reduced from what they owe.
Again, I don't know if this will work for you or not, just sharing personal anecdotes.
jhang10@reddit (OP)
I have heard quite a few of these stories. Thank you for your input!
Working_Asparagus_59@reddit
Naw, made federal illegal. You’re good, look around/up yourself. Hope everything works out for you friend.
jhang10@reddit (OP)
Thank you!
meramec785@reddit
No. Maybe that’s their policy but it’s not the law. They don’t have to take any payment plan. If you don’t pay it all off they can sue. Oh and many hospitals do sue though it tends to vary a lot by state and even county.
jhang10@reddit (OP)
That's what I was afraid of...
HerpesIsItchy@reddit
Fuck. Whenever I read stuff like this I'm so happy to be Canadian. Universal Health Care is the bomb
jhang10@reddit (OP)
Amen to that! Some of us are trying here in the US... Sadly it's still just a dream.
coralcoast21@reddit
Medical debt is no longer part of credit scores.
The question about lawsuits is a bit more complicated. Let's say you live in VA. It's easy to serve you, garnishment is allowed, and there are no major hoops to jump through for creditors. The debt will be assigned to a 3rd party collection agency around 120-180 days (contrary to reddit-think, it's not sold for pennies on the dollar when it's 30-40% collectible).
Now let's say you start sending $5 per month on an $8k bill. If you are 70, on social security, and renting, yes, that will most likely be fine. If you are a fireman in a major city making 140k with OT, they are going to opt to sue you. There are tons of variables to consider. But the TL/DR is, it depends
EatAllTheShiny@reddit
They aren't going to sue someone over 8k, though. And often times if you directly call a creditor and tell them you just can't pay, and offer to negotiate something and a regular payment plan, they will take that rather than throwing all the money away to the courts and having to take a full write down on it.
effitalll@reddit
Yes they will. I got sued for a hospital bill of 5k. They did it in small claims court, luckily I was able to do mediation. But they wouldn’t settle for a penny less than the full amount.
coralcoast21@reddit
There's a distinct difference on how medical debt is handled when the provider is still servicing it vs a 3rd party collection agency. The hospital billing office mainly exists to bill insurance. Sure, they will process self pays and send bills for uncovered portion of balances. But that's about it.
Collection agencies use collection attorneys who create an assembly line approach to lawsuits. 10% of debtors show up for court. So it's not like there's a ton of argument. They stack the filings for each county and have multiple judgements awarded on the same day. Paralegals handle the bank and wage garnishments. It's a numbers game.
EatAllTheShiny@reddit
I'm saying you can negotiate a write down directly with the billing office. Contact them and tell them that you can't afford to pay it all but instead of going through the collections process and them getting a huge haircut that way, offer 50% or even 40% on payments over 18 months or something.
coralcoast21@reddit
It doesn't work like that. Collection agency contracts with their clients (original creditors) are written to address this situation. The CA would go out of business if creditors were allowed to avoid the contingency fee once they got the debtor's attention. The fee is applicable no matter whether the debtor pays the CA or the original creditor.
Baybutt99@reddit
Might want to wait a week on that opening statement, last time trump was in office he systematically repealed everything obama did the year prior, like he was working a spreadsheet. I would expect the credit scores to be rolled back on pure spite.
Apprehensive-Pop-201@reddit
Not ULPT, but you should also check to see if you qualify for financial assistance from the hospital. Most of them have a program.
TremerSwurk@reddit
i went to the hospital a bunch in 2020/2021 and i haven’t paid any of it lol, so far so good! i am not a lawyer, take this with a grain of salt.
Angreek@reddit
No. The moment the patient (customer) pays anything, they’ve ’agreed’ to the prices and now are exactly liable for everything including credit impact. Once any payment happens, that moment then means appealing and negotiating is no longer available.
I believe it’s exactly opposite of what you’ve posted. I suggest deleting your post, the comments are all over the place in confusion and it’s misleading.
Jaxager@reddit
If you're in the US, Biden just passed a law that medical bills cannot affect your credit.
Angreek@reddit
That’s true. But that doesn’t change the fact that once you begin payments, you’ve agreed to that amount billed. I’ve been informed this by an attorney.
nausteus@reddit
Check your state laws to see if they can sue at all.
Also, yes and no about how medical debt impacts your credit score. There are laws that will protect you if you have unpaid medical debt, but no professional is going to pay much attention to your since they know how to read your report without needing the summary that is a credit score.
In most cases, they're supposed to ignore medical debt, but that just means that, if they do hold it against you, they can't document it as a reason and have to inflate the negative effects of other legal debts. In other words, a racist boss might document their black employees for attendance more than their white employees since they can't be overtly racist and a lender with a lot of shares of a healthcare company might decide not to let that late payment from 4 years ago slide after they notice you owe $12k to a hospital.
Objective_Attempt_14@reddit
First try to get a reduction or charity care. But then yes if they accept the payments and do try it you can just say im making payments......
Frontline-witchdoc@reddit
If you are uninsured, they will bill you at a grossly inflated rate, They expect most people to be ignorant of how crooked medical billing is in the US.
When they are getting paid by an insurance company, they will accept about a third of the amount that they try to bill you.
What you need to do is negotiate. Tell them that you are willing to pay the same amount that they usually accept from an insurance company, and that if they won't take the deal, tell them to try to collect and see where that gets them.
SnooGuavas1745@reddit
Don’t pay at all. I’m a medical biller and I haven’t paid a medical bill in like 7 years now. They can’t report it to your credit anymore. There’s no incentive for patients to pay any longer.
T_Dad23@reddit
Wouldn’t they just garnish your pay? Not trying to be snarky, honestly curious
SnooGuavas1745@reddit
It has never happened to me. Also, my bills are not exorbitant, so I’m assuming they were written off?
I lived in CA and now in AR.
Also, I NEVER EVER give my ssn number to offices. They don’t need to have it and I’m not sure if this has anything to do with the lack of garnishment. No clue.
DeliciousBeanWater@reddit
Its also true that they just passed a bill that says medical debt cant impact your credit score at all. So why even pay?
cogburn@reddit
They can probably still sue you for it and garnish wages.
DeliciousBeanWater@reddit
Nope. Just regular creditor shit. They send you a bill and hope you comply.
cogburn@reddit
Which can include suing you for it and garnishing your wages.
DeliciousBeanWater@reddit
Nope. They wont do that unless its worth a SIGNIFICANT amount aka over the price of lawyers and wtc. So like 20+k
cogburn@reddit
So if they will do it. Why argue saying they wont?
DeliciousBeanWater@reddit
They will do it if its some crazy situation like cancer treatment, and thats still a maybe.
cogburn@reddit
Well to your original question, that's why.
DeliciousBeanWater@reddit
Nah they straight up dont care if its not a SIGNIFICANT amount of money aka like $20k+
cogburn@reddit
And that's why you would pay it.
DeliciousBeanWater@reddit
No reason to pay it. No consequences of not paying it. Itll go away in 7 years and they wont be able to collect
splimp@reddit
I got hit with a massive ER bill for a quick trip in and out. $6000. I pay $2 a week.
Comprehensive_Two388@reddit
If you go to their payment page there will probably be an option to go on a payment plan, and they nearly always offer you an option to pay $25/50 a month with zero interest
You don't have to speak to anyone or claim financial hardship... We're currently paying the bill from childbirth at $300 a year and could pay it off with our HSA easily, but why would you ever do it??
They give me the choice for balances as low as a couple of hundred dollars
hacksoncode@reddit
Not a law, no. A ruling by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.
A thing to remember is that any regulation/ruling made by a particular executive branch agency under one President can be changed by the agency under a different President.
WolverinesThyroid@reddit
It is not true. You can negotiate a payment plan and often that can be really low. The real ULPT is to just not pay the bill and hope it gets written off or a charity buys it for pennies on the dollar and writes it off.
Dasrule@reddit
Generally, yes, in the USA, if it is an ER, hospital or other emergency service provider.
A private practice can (and some will) send you to collections. Some of those collections agencies will sue you but I have not heard of any of them suing if you pay them something, anything.
{I work for a payment service provider and see debtors making $1 a month payments to debt collection companies on medical debt all the time).
generallyintoit@reddit
so, just call the billing department of the provider and see what's up. it's true that they can't send you to collections if you're on a payment plan, at least where i work at. and it's true that you can ask for an itemized bill. but the protocol for obtaining this is different at every place, and the action of receiving the itemized bill will not change its contents--there's other actions you have to take. the system is messy and weird. you can ask if they will accept a letter of financial hardship. if they have good billers, they'll give you some other options if they exist. when you're calling, have a pen and paper and take notes of people's names, day and time, have your own information handy including dates of service and where services took place.
same with medical records.
Beneficial-Curve7213@reddit
Idk what state you’re from but I’m from texas and I’ve been to the hospital for several things, a miscarriage, 2 car accident, and a broken leg before.. yeah I didn’t pay any of that. They haven’t took it out of my wages, idk if they’re still calling me but I get too many scam calls anyways so I don’t pick up the phone unless a voicemail is left, my credit didn’t tank (I think), I got another car and an apt just fine, I think you’d be better off just not paying 🤷🏻♀️
Ceruleangangbanger@reddit
I just never paid mine lol after 3 years they stopped calling it’s really that simple
No_Address687@reddit
I had a similar case, but it showed up the last day before closing when I was buying a house. They didn't give me any time to dispute it. Luckily it was a small amount, but I was many years afterwards and they didn't let it go (in California).
8persimmons@reddit
Yes. This. In Texas, consumer debt is discharged after non payment for 4 years. Check your state. Pay nothing. Hold firm.
ColloquialShart@reddit
It depends on the situation, but I have had it happen where I paid a partial amount towards a (pre-authorized) surgery bill that the insurance company decided to deny the claim for after the fact. This claim was in the middle of a claims appeal. I had FSA funds specifically for this procedure which were about to expire and the hospital accepted the payment and considered the bill paid from there on out. It was a fraction of what I was told to be expected to pay.
5141121@reddit
Pretty much correct, with some caveats (also doesn't really fit the sub, because what OP is suggesting isn't really unethical):
Medical debt no longer affects credit. This is true. While it doesn't fit the ultimate goal of "nobody should go bankrupt because they slipped and fell", it does go a long way towards not ruining someone's life because of circumstances completely out of their control. However, institutions can still go after you for the debt, including court and automatic wage garnishment.
The "pay a little" is true to a point. Basically, it helps you with your case when they ultimately attempt to sue you for the debt. Most of the time debt collection claims are based on "no attempt to pay" and by sending them a little bit each time, you remove that from the claim. And if you get brought up before a judge about it, you can say "that's all I was able to afford". They can still sue and garnish, though.
The most ethical tip is what's already been mentioned here: Once you get the bill, call/write and request/demand an itemized accounting of the entire bill. They are required by law to provide it upon request. You can then go through each line item and dispute it. Most of the time you can get quite a few charges either completely eliminated or dramatically reduced (things like $10 for a regular strength Tylenol, etc). Once you get the final final bill, you can start negotiating with the provider, including the "send a little bit" path if that's all you can afford.
Now, to fit with the spirit of this sub: If you don't have insurance that will cover emergencies, make sure you never check into an ER with your real name/details. Shit, the way healthcare is these days, even if you DO have insurance, you might be better off doing this.
jhang10@reddit (OP)
Yeah we have a high deductible plan and at this point I might have been better off negotiating a cash price...
Thank you for the advice. I realize now this is not as unethical as I thought it was!
firsthand-smoke@reddit
don't forget to be nice even if your frustrated.... people are now willing to help if you're kind
xp14629@reddit
Assuming you did not provide them with any insuramce information if in the U.S. A friend used ro work in billing. She said if you came in and told them you were a cash paying patient and wants the cash price with a payment plan, a lot of the bills were cut in half. Sometimes more was cut if you skipped the payment plan and just handed them a check, cash, credit card. But if they ran insurance first and are billing you for the remainder, the most they would do was a payment plan.
Equivalent-Carry-419@reddit
You can also negotiate down the debt. They something instead of nothing.
TSPGamesStudio@reddit
yes this is true, it's also not unethical.
jhang10@reddit (OP)
I guess not! I felt like it might be shady finding ways to not pay or minimize it but I guess not.
Bitchfaceblond@reddit
And sometimes you can apply for financial aid. The hospital will take care of it or most of it.
BeatsMeByDre@reddit
Just don't pay.
pinacolada12345@reddit
I once setup minimal $20 payment because I have high deductible and didn’t have enough funds in HSA yet, later in the year they contacted me with a 50%discount offer if I just paid remainder in full to close the balance so it was a great deal since I was planning on paying it fully anyway.
gemini_kitty_@reddit
I’m still paying off charges from the birthing center when I had my child; I pay $25 a month towards my bill without interest. You could possibly even do a smaller amount each month? Not ULPT though.
jhang10@reddit (OP)
Did you have to work this out with the billing department? Or do you just send the money each month and they apply it to your balance?
gemini_kitty_@reddit
I called the billing department and told them I was broke; they offered an application I could submit to see if I was considered for their hardship program (to reduce or completely waive my fees based on my income and assets).
I did not qualify so I asked what their lowest monthly payment was, which was $25; I confirmed that worked for me and have been chipping away at it since.
They still send a paper bill each month with the total balance owed, but I just send the agreed upon amount.
WaldoDeefendorf@reddit
I should have read one more comment before posting LOL.
jhang10@reddit (OP)
Thank you for the advice! I will do this.
gemini_kitty_@reddit
Happy to help. Good luck, fellow Redditor!
WaldoDeefendorf@reddit
If your your income is relatively low compared to the debt you can sometimes petition the hospital and they could discharge most or all of your debt. My wife's friend did this and got an $80,000 surgery wipe off the books. Later my wife wrote letters to the hospital for my adult daughter and got some huge bills discharged. I think it has to do with some sort of charity/tax write off they get for doing it.
Jealous-Friendship34@reddit
This is exactly what I did. I just paid $20/month on each bill and it stayed out of collections. No interest either!
broccoli_octopus@reddit
Contact the hospital's financial assistance department. Many hospitals are nonprofit, and they're required to have.
And don't forget to slip piss disks under every door.
jhang10@reddit (OP)
Piss disk acquired! I'll give em hell.
Bourbon-No-Ice@reddit
In Louisiana it was like that, Kentucky doesn't seem to be that way. So i guess it depends on your state? I paid $20 a month (rumor was. $10 was minimum ) in Louisiana for medical bills for over 3 years just because. Never got a negative report or sent to collection. Check with your state and also the billing department, Kentucky hospital has sent me to collections 3 times, one was my fault. I missed the bill. The other 2 times . I was waiting on the actual bill and collections for it before me. WTF. I even asked them wtf? "I don't know"
Aggravating_Major941@reddit
You need to call the hospital's billing department and set up a payment plan with them. The amount you pay per month can be very low, though you will likely end up paying a lot more in interest this way. As long as you're paying them what you agree to, it won't affect your credit score. If you stop paying them then they'll sell your debt to a private collection agency, at which point it stops being medical debt and can affect your credit score.
Toledojoe@reddit
Hospital billing plans don't charge interest.
Source: both my wife and I had cancer and had to be on payment plans.