Do I have to put up with harrassment from "debt collectors"?

Question

I had a seizure in school last year and was hospitalized. I repeatedly told the doctors that all tests had been done in the past and no explanation for these seizures had ever been found but they repeated all these expensive tests from expensive specialists again anyway. I further explained that I am a student with no income and could not afford to stay in the hospital at all but they kept me anyway. Now I am receiving harassing phone calls and threats of legal action. I'm still an unemployed full time student. I refuse to deal with debt collectors and my intention is to pay these doctors when I do graduate and find employment. Of course, as I told them, they were not ablt to find causes for my seizures.

Answer 1

You are responsible for those bills. At any time you could have easily signed yourself out AMA and refused treatment. You could have left the hospital. You could have screamed until they didn't give the tests, fought them off, gone to whatever extreme necessary for them to listen to you. Now you have to pay the bills. If they are actually "harrassing" you, that's one thing. They have to abide by the Fair Debt Collection practices.

Answer 2

You can't just ignore them because they will not go away. You need to at least write a detailed letter explaining what your intentions are, and why it is impossible for you to pay now. As far as harassment goes, they cannot call you before 8:00AM or after 9:00PM. They cannot contact you more than once a day. They cannot contact neighbors or friends. They may call relatives to ask for your contact information- but, they cannot continue to do so if they are told to stop, and they are not allowed to reveal any personal information about your debt to anyone they contact. If it goes to court- there could be a judgment brought against you. A judgment stays on your credit report forever. That is why sometimes people with a good payment history, are still denied credit.

Answer 3

Detailing your health issue with collectors is pointless .
They don't care , their job is just to get the $$$ .
If you can not pay now , get caller ID .

Even if they do start legal action , you have no assets or wages to garnish soooo ,
What will happen ? It is called 'blood from a turnip'.
What may happen is that they hang in until you get a good job then start working you again . They will go after it for 7 years from the date of the debt .

Just get and use Caller ID , that's why it was invented .

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Answer 4

I agree you could have just walked out of the hospital. Lots of people have done it. It's called discharging yourself against medical advice.

You are stuck with the debts and you are responsible for paying them off.

You need credit counseling from a counseling agency certified excellent by the National Foundation for Credit Counseling. Go to www.nfcc.org and use the agency locator to find a helpful office near you.

Answer 5

I know many people (including myself) who have dealt with big medical debt. They cannot refuse you care by law and they cannot charge you interest on your debt. If you start sending them a little a month, (I've been sending $20 a month for 10 years,) they will leave you alone. They may call once to ask if you can send more and if you say you can't, they'll try to lock you into a commitment for what you are doing. Then you won't hear from them again.

Answer 6

I don't have an answer for this question .But I think it would pay you to seek legal advice.In England if you are on low income or no income at all ,you can get legal aid.I know that you are in America.There must be an answer to this problem somewhere.

Answer 7

No you shouldnt give them the time of day when it comes to talking over the phone.If you want to negotiate with collectors you should do it through letters

Answer 8

Didn't you have insurance?
You need to contact a legal aid attorney, immediately.
You are going to mess up your credit until you resolve this problem.