Someone told me you can just pay what you can "afford." Well, if I can only "afford" $5 or $10 a month, will I get all my assets seized or something?
2007-08-21 07:06:52 · 11 answers · asked by Lawn Jockey 4 in Business & Finance ➔ Insurance
If your account has not gone to collections yet and you make some kind of payment each month, then generally they cannot take any action against you. Usually, interest is only charged to the account if it has gone to a collections agency. If your account is with a collections agency, you may want to contact them and work out some kind of payment plan.
You don't have to worry about your assets being seized unless you're not paying the bill at all. Then what will happen is that the health care provider will sell the account to a collections agency, who will charge interest to the account (and will probably harass you all the while). If you still don't pay, then they will report it to a credit bureau and eventually, they may sue you. If they win, that's when they can seize your assets (i.e. put liens on your property, garnish your wages, etc.). The only exception is if you owe the government (for example, the state health department) and you don't pay them at all. They can garnish your wages or tax returns with no question.
2007-08-22 03:58:00 · answer #1 · answered by ~♠♥CJ♥♠~ 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You CAN pay whatever you can afford, however,have you looked into state aid? That would be the first thing to do. If you don't qualify (or the providers don't accept it), call them and see if they will give you a discounted rate. This is good if you can pay that full amount in one payment. They probably will not want to carry the discounted amount. They will not seize your assets, but the balance due will usually be assigned to a collection agency and they will tack on their fee and they WILL charge interest. This will also go on your credit report, which could have adverse affects later when you try to get credit.
2007-08-21 09:13:30 · answer #2 · answered by ? 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Lol. No your assets won't get seized. The worst thing that will happen is that the bill will get sent to collections and you'll get phone calls and bills in the mail.
But really any payment you send is better than none at all. I've never heard of any payment plans but I've never asked either. Don't worry you're not going to be homeless and carless because you can't pay a medical bill in full. Never heard of that every happening to anybody, ever. Not in the U.S. anyway.
And there is no interest or late fees....you're not paying back a credit card, your amount will be the same. Some people don't know what they're talking about.
2007-08-21 07:17:51 · answer #3 · answered by goturanswer 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
As long as you call the provider ASAP and make a payment agreement - offer to put it in writing - and make the regular payments, and if you can give them a bit more here and there - when you can, in good faith, you should be okay. (And if there's a month where you're caught short and can't make your regular payment, call and notify them right away so they don't mark you delinquent.)
Now, if this account went out to a collection agency, this probably won't apply. Once an account becomes delinquent and is turned over to an agency, they go after you with gusto. (And the provider loses 20-50% of the amount right off the top.)
2007-08-21 11:21:25 · answer #4 · answered by zippythejessi 7 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Go to your local Department of Human Services and ask for a Medicaid Spenddown and if you do not qualify for that take the letter stating that you do not to the hospital and show them you can not afford to pay their bill as well. They will work something out, You may owe forever but it is your debt.
2007-08-21 20:50:11 · answer #5 · answered by awillionaire 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes you can, I would contact who you owe first, and see if you can come to some sort of an agreement or payment plan. They want you to make a minimum payment every month, but if you can't they will just tack on interest and late fees making it worse and increasing your debt. good luck.
2007-08-21 07:16:00 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Hi! I'm a senior in highschool and working on a research paper on medical debt. Are you in medical debt? Can I interview you ? Your personal identification will not be released. I really need to find someone for interview. Please say yes.
2015-01-30 16:22:59 · answer #7 · answered by Komal 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, you cant. The interest they will charge you will be more than $10 a month.
Your best bet is to find yourself a bankruptcy lawyer.
Huge medical bills are the number one cause of bankruptcy in America.
Raiddinn Beatdropper
2007-08-21 11:07:36 · answer #8 · answered by Raiddinn Beatdropper 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Will if you pay 5 or 10 dollars a month than ur gonna get a bigger bill because of interest.So you should pay at 100 dollars a month.
2007-08-21 07:15:39 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋
You should call the place and make a payment plan. They will be happy to recieve something over nothing.
2007-08-21 07:14:31 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋