I owe $179 to a hospital for an ER visit. What is the lowest monthly pmt. I can make legally?

Question

Is there a rule where I have to make payment according to their desires? I said I would make $20 a month and that wasn't good enough.

Answer 1

If you're making an attempt to pay something they won't sue you. Even if they tell you no, go ahead and send your $20 in... send it by certified mail/return receipt requested. If they accept it and cash the check, then they've accepted payment and as long as you continue to making payments no more than 30 days apart, they will not sue. (You can use the return reciept as proof they received it and your cancelled check as proof they cashed it.)

IF they don't accept and they return it to you, keep sending it to them and keep getting it back...It will be about 90 days from the time you got the bill before they start doing anything legal about it, and then after that you'll get served and have another 30 days before court. (that's about $80 into the payback)

As soon as you get served, call their attorney's office (the contact info will be on the paperwork you are served with). Tell them that you've been trying to make payments... blah blah blah.. and that you have the $80 for the last 4 months worth of payments and you want to continue to make $20 payments. If you do that, trust me, this will never make it to court. Effort counts tremendously in these cases and again, it's not that high of a debt.

Those that are being a bit over the top on their responses have never been in the position where they live paycheck to paycheck and an extra $20 to pay a bill is a lot of money. They can't respect your situation so don't pay any attention to them...what they're saying is true, but collection agencies and law offices that handle collections do not rush to court for $179. They will if they have to.... but as long as you own up to your situation and show effort from the very beginning you should be okay.

Answer 2

They do not "have" to accept anything. Like someone else said - they have the right to demand payment, you have the right to say I can't afford that much I will pay X, they have the right to say NO, they have the right to sue you, you have the right to defend yourself, if they win they can garnish your wages and charge you court costs.....etc etc etc.

You received services - and you owe a debt and why should that organization have to wait months and months for you to piss around with $20 payments? Try that at the grocery store or the gas station and see how far you get. Hospitals are businesses just like the grocery store.

Answer 3

As long as you're paying them something, there's nothing they can do. A lot of times they try to bully you into paying the whole amount all at once. But, a monthly payment of $20 is completely reasonable.

Answer 4

If you make an effort to pay, they have to accept it...it may show on your credit report that you are in arrears for that debt, but they cannot send a collection agency after you as long as you are making an effort to pay (at least that is my understanding).

Pay it off as quickly as possible, but pay at least SOMETHING every month.

Answer 5

they pms each and all of the time while they do no longer bypass to the well being center and make contact with themselves "fat" while they are no longer fat in any respect via fact they have not long previous to the well being center for an afternoon.....it somewhat is how unhappy they're....

Answer 6

They're just tryin to hassle you...If you make an attempt, and I call $20 an attempt, they cannot legally do anything...

Answer 7

They have the right to demand the whole thing. You have the right not to pay it. They have the right to sue you. You have the right to defend against the suit. If they win, they have the right to garnishee......

Get the picture?

Answer 8

only the hospital can tell you dat!