godaddyo2000 said:
OHIO__I recently had a collection agency contact me in regards to a emergency room/hospital debt. I signed a treatment consent form when entering the hospital. Is this considered an open account or a written contract? What is the statute of limitations on open accounts in Ohio. I am really confused to what is considered an open account or written contract. I have been searching everywhere for reference material. thanks in advance!!
My response:
In Ohio, it doesn't matter; however, an Open Account is typically a Credit Card account, or a Line of Credit for, say, home improvement, from a bank - - where you can go back for more money, pay monthly, go back for more money, and continue making payments, all the while the account stays "Open".
A written contract in your instance would be, typically, a single time charge for a single purpose. Yours is a "Closed Account" written contract for the sole and single purpose of your hospital stay.
The Ohio Statute of Limitations for debts is one of the worst in the nation, and extremely "creditor friendly" - - i.e., it's 15 years from the date the services accrued, or from the last date of payment.
Editorial : If it were me, I'd never enter into a contract involving Ohio. 15 years is a huge chunk of someone's life to be on the hook. In fact, I'd move.
Good luck to you.
IAAL