I had some specialty stuff done at a doctors office back in 2002. I recently tried to contact them and they sent me a statement showing that back in 2004 they wrote off my bill as bad debt. However, they are now wanting me to set up a payment plan. Do I still have to pay the bill and/or can they submit my bill to collections?
2007-02-10 08:20:52 · 4 answers · asked by student 2 in Business & Finance ➔ Credit
If the statute of limitations has not yet passed, then yes you still owe it. Check to see what the statute of limitations on written contracts is in your state. If it has expired, then your legal obligation to pay is eliminated.
They can still pursue collection activities, but you can request that they cease and desist collection activities under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
2007-02-10 09:08:46 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Certainly, you still owe the money.
Them writing it off as a bad debt doesn't erase the debt. It simply means they've taken the loss for tax purposes. If you ultimately pay then they will claim the money you pay as revenue and pay taxes on it.
Pay your debts. And people wonder why health care is so expensive.
2007-02-10 08:25:13 · answer #2 · answered by Box815 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Just because the office writes it off as bad debt, usually means that they are forwarding it to a collection agency for action. It's merely lingo and means nothing legally. Check out this website for more information...
http://www.creditmanagementworld.com/legal.html
2007-02-10 18:46:50 · answer #3 · answered by pagamenews 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, you still owe the money. Because it was written off does not mean they decided you don't owe it, it means they sent you to collections.
They can sue you, attempt to garnish your wages, put a lein on your vehicles or property, list it to your credit report as a bad debt, etc.
You need to pony up and take care of your responsibilities.
2007-02-13 23:05:26 · answer #4 · answered by siren381 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋