What's Dave stance/teaching on doctor bills

**Palooka** · 08-14-2008, 01:24 AM

Just thought I would ask here. What does he teach on Doctor bills..

Like if you fell 2 months behind and they put you in collections?

They wanted it all or nothing...so I am faced with a small bill of 170.00. Sounds cheap, I know...but not really for us because of other debt and other doctors we have to pay also.

So what can they do? The bill is only in my husbands name because he carries the insurance(not sure if that matters, just sharing info)

Another thing that is so great is that they will not see my kids anymore because of the bill.(lets not forget the thousands I payed through the years) I mean it doesn't matter at all how sick they are!

I've never myself had one bill in collections with my name..I have the good credit and my husband has the worst. heh. ( he is the debt/spender and I married into it but in this state it can't go against me if it is not in my name.)

Just saying what would be the worst thing. Garnished wages? After how long? I feel there is other bills that need to be payed just as well. "Is it safe" if this bill sits there for awhile while we catch up on others? Then pay it later? Trust me that we are not trying to get out of it at all. It's just that other credit can be more serious, ya know?

I thought they were total @sses to deal with.

So please rip into me nicely or share what you know.

BTW, this is MO state.

TIA

**Greebo** · 08-14-2008, 05:35 AM

Originally Posted by Palooka

Just thought I would ask here. What does he teach on Doctor bills..

Like if you fell 2 months behind and they put you in collections?

They wanted it all or nothing...so I am faced with a small bill of 170.00. Sounds cheap, I know...but not really for us because of other debt and other doctors we have to pay also.

By "they", I assume you mean the collections agency, not the doctor's office. I'm also assuming that during the 2 months you fell behind, you did not talk to the doctor's office about the fact that you were going to fall behind. That's a shame - avoiding the issue never makes it better - so yeah, my guess is, they didn't hear from you, they got no money from you, so they called in the goons to deal with you.

To quote Dave, goons - er - collection agents are scum. They lie, they work you up, the entire purpose of their call is to get you angry and scared so you'll pay them when you can't afford to, so they can get your bonus.

So what can they do? The bill is only in my husbands name because he carries the insurance(not sure if that matters, just sharing info)

The Doc's office can pull the bill OUT of collections at any time, but you have to actually deal with the doctors office. Go to them, plead mercy. Tell them, in person, not over the phone, "Look, we want to pay your bill, but right now we don't have the money to pay you in full. Your collections office is harassing us and threatening us with lawsuits over something less than $200, which is ridiculous for both of us.. If we can pay you $25/month, and put that in writing, would you please agree to take the bill out of collections? "
(If they haven't threatened lawsuits, don't say they have - just tell them what the CA IS doing)

Another thing that is so great is that they will not see my kids anymore because of the bill.(lets not forget the thousands I payed through the years) I mean it doesn't matter at all how sick they are!

Again, if this is a collections office not the Doctor's office, the Doc may not even know how scummy their outsourced thugs are being.

Just saying what would be the worst thing. Garnished wages? After how long? I feel there is other bills that need to be payed just as well. "Is it safe" if this bill sits there for awhile while we catch up on others? Then pay it later? Trust me that we are not trying to get out of it at all. It's just that other credit can be more serious, ya know?

They can't garnish you w/o taking you to court. That requires a lawsuit, and if they sue you over $200, they're stupid, but then again, it's a collection agency.

That said, if you follow Dave's plan, then first things first. You pay for food, lights, clothing, transportation, and the roof over your head first. No extra, just those five. Then you get current on everything, then you pay as much as you can, smallest to largest. The Doc's bill should be off your list fast if you follow that plan.

But you have to go to the Doc and deal with them - plead mercy, present your case, and your proposed repayment plan, but tell them they can only get $25/month if they take the bill out of the goons hands.

**knotme** · 08-14-2008, 09:19 AM

I had a Dr bill go to collections once. (It was Dr office fault it went to collection) The Dr office never sent me a bill. I called the Dr office and asked why we had never seen a bill. Apparently they changed billing services and it messed up their billing. We got it straightened out over the phone. They sent me the bill and I paid in full.

On the other hand I also saw a patient get denied sevice at a Dr office as they hadn't paid anything on any of their bills with the Dr office. The billing clerk told the patient, "if you had only paid $5 a month then we wouldn't deny you service, but becaus you didn't pay anything, we have the right to deny you service" (I wasn't evesdropping, there were several other people present when I heard this.

**Cricketlegs** · 08-14-2008, 11:13 AM

I have always just made payments with no problems. I find doctor offices just want their money and if it is coming in they are okay.

My last one is down to $87. I have been paying $50 a month. They just send me a bill and I send my $50.

Next month I will pay off my balance.

I would suggest you send in a payment and KEEP YOUR RECEIPTS!

Just start paying off and thats that. They just want their money.

**CYork** · 08-15-2008, 11:57 PM

The doctors have bills to pay just like you and I do. Is it fair to them to provide you with service and not receive immediate compensation without making arrangements in advance? I liken it to taking home food from the grocery store and telling them you will pay them down the road when you are able to.

How do you expect the doctors to pay their bills? They have professional financial obligations every month (electricity, malpractice and liability insurance, payroll, lease, supplies) not to mention their own personal bills and medical school loans. It's not fair to the doctors to take up their time and not pay them after the appointment. (It would be a different story if you set up a payment plan in advance.)

People generally have a preconceived notion that all doctors are rolling in the dough and should provide free care or allow delayed payment out of the goodness of their hearts. What other business or service does that? None that I can think of.

If you can't pay your bill, use a credit card. That's what they are for. It is far more equitable for you to have to pay interest to the credit card company than to basically stiff the doctor by sending in a trickle of money "when you can." The doctor is running a BUSINESS and patients should respect that.

**Palooka** · 08-16-2008, 02:07 AM

My only excuse is that I did not get the bill in the mail and forgot about it. My husband(sorry to say is really laid back about this stuff and I feel I take all the weight on my shoulders but I am working on him, and I do my best to pay all bills.) They told me they gave me two warnings and I only got one, and yes I contacted them that day! They said the bill is turned over and hooked me up to billing and for the life of me that day could not get through with them.

Greebo, I am going to take that advice that you said about going up there and trying to make a payment plan...but I doubt it will work here. I heard once they 'sell' your debt to a collection agency...there is no 'working it out' to the place that you owe.

With the several now doctor bills that we have...I have always payed them on time.... This is what happened to me today while paying bills..

Today was pay day and I sat down with all the bills and payed them. My husband has a Dermotology(sp) one. Ya know high price.

I am telling you here that doctors don't want a payment, but it payed in full and are hard to work with. I only have one doctors office that is really nice with my monthly payments and that is it.

On the phone today."hi, can I make a payment over the phone and she said yes. "I would like to pay x amount." She said,"hold on." Gets back on the phone and tells me that I have to pay it all within 30 days or they will turn my husband over to collections.(forgot to add this is a new bill)

I said.."you will not except my payment today and will still turn him over in collections even if we set up a monthly payment and you can take it out of our account? She said, "hold on again." Gets back on the phone and says if this bill is not payed of in two payments then, yes, we will not take the payments and turn it into collections." I said, well, I will pay this amount and you can take it, please! "try my best to give you the other in the next month."

What a crock! I called up another doc and payed them a small balance and they were so nice....and did not question me at all.

Cyork, you didn't understand my post, but thanks anyway. We will pay it, trust me. I once made a thread about putting all my doctor debt on my credit card just to pay them off at once and everyone said no. I guess if worse came to worse I could...but that is the reason I asked the question in the DR forum because I don't think Dave would want you to put it on a credit card.

I think there is more questions I could answer but I am tired.

**Greebo** · 08-16-2008, 05:51 AM

No - Dave would not want you to use a Credit Card, absolutely. The only time Dave would ever say, "Put that debt on the credit card" is when its owed to the ~~KGB~~IRS. CC companies and their collection agencies have limits set by law. The IRS has no boundaries.

It's a shame your doctor's office is being so inflexible, but you are in the USA, so no matter what the collection practice is for, they fall under the Fair Debt Collections Act (or whatever the name is).

So - if the doc's office is unreasonable about billing, go in, try going in, talk to the Doc if the billing manager is a ****, and if that doesn't work, then what you did is what I would do. "I'm sorry you won't be reasonable about this, if you insist on sending it to collections, well, it'll get paid, but it'll get paid last on the list now because you want all or nothing, and we can't do that."

They'll yell, they'll scream, they'll have a cow (or as DR would say, a "duck fit"), but that's all they can do.

**ladykemma2** · 08-16-2008, 07:12 AM

wow, i paid off a 2000 dollar doctor bill for a breast reduction ten dollars a week. are you sure you are talking to the doctor's office, and not the goons?

**MisaLady** · 08-16-2008, 09:56 AM

Double-check with the office. My understanding is that doctors have to keep seeing you as long as you pay something, anything on the bill. I could be wrong, it could be that most of them just do. In that case, find a different doctor.

Have you seen if you qualify for charity care at an urgent care clinic? Or even a reduced rate? I had to do this for a couple of years when I had no insurance. They do it partially to help make sure you don't go to the ER and cost them loads of money there.