The bill that will die, cannot be paid off

[commentator]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? TN

Two years ago, my son was in college, was working in one of the campus offices as an unpaid student worker. He was asked by a custodial worker doing a project nearby to give him a hand on installing a heavy piece of equipment through a hole in the ceiling. To make a long story short, the guy dropped it on his head, knocking him out and cutting him.

He was taken to the emergency room, had treatment and a tetanus shot. He was at that time still covered under our family insurance policy, but he said they would not take this insurance information, since it was an injury on campus, which they said somehow was an 'on the job' injury. They apparently assumed he was employed by the college, instead of just being a student. Apparently this was what the custodian told them who brought him there, as he did not say this. He did give them his name and required information.

Two years later. He has not personally received any billings for this incident from the hospital during this period. Our insurance has not been billed. He cannot find any record that it was billed to the college financial office.

He is now employed at the same college. He has been receiving calls from an outside collection agency, which has somehow gotten this $300 debt, and is harrassing him and demanding payment. He has spoken to someone in the finance office at the college who assures him they would still be able to pay this bill for him. He was told that what they need to make the payment is a statement showing how much is owed and for what.

He keeps telling the collection agency this, every time they call him, which is more than daily. They keep saying they will send him something, and they never do. He has made this request many times and gotten the same assurances and results. Nothing but more calls.

He has called the hospital, and they say they have no record of the bill and can give him nothing. This has been going on for months, and he has stopped taking the collection agency's calls. I am afraid they will now go forward with some sort of garnishment. How can he go about getting something on paper from the collection agency that will allow the college to pay this bill?

Has it been too long for him to take any legal action against the college if they were to refuse to pay? I do not believe they would, but even so?

[dfromnyli]

So your son went to a hospital, your son received medical services, you are aware that the hospital has never been paid for these services. Seems like the only party who has been hurt here is the hospital, for apparently giving out free medical services.

Go to the hospital to have them try and look up the bill, if it is owed pay it. If they have no record of this bill, make them give you a letter stating that and send it to the CA.

[commentator]

So how does one make the hospital, which is now under new management, has been contracted by a large health care entity, give him a letter saying he doesn't owe them anything? Who, which department, office, branch, whatever of this big corporation is going to provide this service?

No, he is not going to "pay it if he owes it", he is going to take such a bill, if he can get it to the college, which has indicated they will pay it.

He has a real problem with simply sending this collection company a cashier's check, as they seem to be the only ones aware of the bill and are unwilling to provide him with any documentation of it. Are they able follow up their threats by suing him or garnishing his wages?

[dad43]

(this is *mrs. dad43*)

BUT in my knowledge of debt collections(which is what i do), if your son makes the request of something being sent to him from/for the original creditor(hospital) from the collector(agency), they have to provide that...i do collections for one of the hardest and DUMBEST divisions in my company, and even on a $13 debt i had to recover, i still had to contact my manager, to contact our "company" to send the person an original letter of debt because they refused to pay, and insisted they were never informed of the charge...((of course it turned out to be an ID10T issue on behalf of that person, b/c after telling ME they'd never heard of us, my records proved that s/he had been making payments to us(of course, that was my 1st collection call)...))

[commentator]

Okay, thanks...but lets see if I understand..he makes the request to the collection agency that they send him something from the original entity (hospital) that shows how much he owes, and they are obligated to give this to him, right? Else they can't do anything else to him, I hope?

Should he make this request by registered letter or something? Is there something he can cite, some regulation or rule that says they have to give him this information?

If he were able to get a note from someone at the hospital that they have no record of this debt (which is beginning to look pretty impossible, given the time that has passed and the change in management) and then sent it to the collection agency, would they then be forced to stop their attempts at collection?

[dfromnyli]

Originally Posted by commentator

No, he is not going to "pay it if he owes it", he is going to take such a bill, if he can get it to the college, which has indicated they will pay it.

He has a real problem with simply sending this collection company a cashier's check, as they seem to be the only ones aware of the bill and are unwilling to provide him with any documentation of it. Are they able follow up their threats by suing him or garnishing his wages?

You and I just have different philosophies on the world my friend. If I went to a hospital and knew they were never paid for a bill where they provided services to me myself and nobody else (NOT THE COLLEGE), I would just step up and pay it.

[LSCAP]

And I'm from a different world.

Prove that I owe the money and I will pay.

So far no one has sent him one piece of proof. AND The college said that they would pay the bill, if there is one.

[debtcollector`]

Originally Posted by dad43

(this is *mrs. dad43*)

BUT in my knowledge of debt collections(which is what i do), if your son makes the request of something being sent to him from/for the original creditor(hospital) from the collector(agency), they have to provide that...i do collections for one of the hardest and DUMBEST divisions in my company, and even on a $13 debt i had to recover, i still had to contact my manager, to contact our "company" to send the person an original letter of debt because they refused to pay, and insisted they were never informed of the charge...((of course it turned out to be an ID10T issue on behalf of that person, b/c after telling ME they'd never heard of us, my records proved that s/he had been making payments to us(of course, that was my 1st collection call)...))

Only in Texas. Texas is an answer required state. Outside of TX you don't have to do anything. Just keep collecting.

DC

[dfromnyli]

Originally Posted by LSCAP

And I'm from a different world.

Prove that I owe the money and I will pay.

So far no one has sent him one piece of proof. AND The college said that they would pay the bill, if there is one.

How about the proof that you went to a hospital and they never got paid for the services provided to you? Is that not proof enough? Like I said there are just different ways and philosophies about the way people see the world, I guess it's probably why I've never received one collection phone call in my life.

[commentator]

And you're wanting to become a creditors rights attorney? You should go to work for the large companies, telling people to just pay them.

Both the hospital and the college could have had financial liability in this situation, the college because of what actually happened to my son --at the behest of one of their employees, he tried to help and got knocked unconscious and cut by having a satellite dish dropped on his head. They should at least pay for the treatment he got that day. This is a little less frivolous claim than a drunk student jumping off a balcony, which they recently were sued for and had to pay. The college does not disagree with paying for this event.

Later, my son had health problems, and was at first diagnosed with a soft tissue sarcoma, but after several tests and medical interventions, which were all paid for by him, he had surgery, and was found to have a cyst which resulted from a misplaced tetatanus shot, the one he received at the hospital that day. A moot point, I know he has no case against them, but it sure makes him less enthusiastic about paying them for a mis-billed service, you know.

I suspect that the billing may have gone to the college, somebody opened it and checked, and since my son was not an employee, that it was denied and returned to the hospital. Then at that point, if they had billed my son, he would probably have paid it without thought, taken it back to the college to check on again, or trying to file it on our family health insurance, since he was covered at that time. But "isn't this proof enough?" What, that these guys are calling him and won't send any paperwork or documentation?

He heard nothing, received nothing, had no idea until now that the college had not paid the bill. Now, two years later, a group that sounds even faintly like Nigerian scammers "just send us the cashier's check if you do not want us to come to your home and have you picked up by the police" are demanding he send them money. He is not able to get them to give him a statement of any kind. Okay, it's not Texas, maybe they're not required to by law, but it sure would make it easier for all concerned.

And you say just pay it. Okay. Thanks.

[ecmst12]

If he could get an actual bill, he COULD pay it and ask the college to reimburse him. But without a statement, he won't be able to ask for reimbursement. So in this case, I agree, he should get a bill before he offers to pay anything.

[antirem]

Have you gone into talk with billing directly? I had a problem with billing and it was a wreck to do it over the phone.

[dfromnyli]

Originally Posted by commentator

But "isn't this proof enough?" What, that these guys are calling him and won't send any paperwork or documentation?

And you say just pay it. Okay. Thanks.

The proof is that you and your son know he went to a hospital and they rendered medical services for nothing, thats the truth right?

Originally Posted by ecmst12

If he could get an actual bill, he SHOULD pay it and ask the college to reimburse him. But without a statement, he won't be able to ask for reimbursement. So in this case, I agree, he should get a bill before he offers to pay anything.

FYP, and I'll add that if this collection agency is not getting him anywhere obviously just go directly to the hospital for the bill which leads to my next quote...

Originally Posted by antirem

Have you gone into talk with billing directly? I had a problem with billing and it was a wreck to do it over the phone.

Hospitals typically have a separate billing department, some hospitals have a current billing and a separate past due billing department. If you and your son go to one of these offices and they are able to produce a bill, yes pay it. If they cannot because you allege that the "hospital has no record" then the issue is over. Your making something really simple really complicated in my opinion.

[commentator]

The issue is over if the hospital can't show us a bill, hum?...then back to my original question.

What about these people calling him on the phone demanding he send them $300? Can they at this point do something else to him, such as take out a warrant, garnish his wages, ruin his credit?

[dfromnyli]

Originally Posted by commentator

The issue is over if the hospital can't show us a bill?

Yes, if you can't see why this is the case you probably can't be helped.


edit: If the hospital can't show you a bill, your son can easily win if a lawsuit is filed against him.