Ambulance charges

[gardengirl]

Ecmst12 - his insurance has a high deductible, and crappy coverage, but it IS affordable for him on a monthly basis - EXCEPT when things go wrong...

 

[Zigner]

Ecmst12 - his insurance has a high deductible, and crappy coverage, but it IS affordable for him on a monthly basis - EXCEPT when things go wrong...

Then he has the wrong insurance. Having insurance that is affordable until things go wrong is worse than not having insurance. At least if you don't have insurance, then you KNOW you are in a bad spot when something goes wrong.

 

[gardengirl]

[Then he has the wrong insurance. Having insurance that is affordable until things go wrong is worse than not having insurance. At least if you don't have insurance, then you KNOW you are in a bad spot when something goes wrong.
/I]

Yeah, well, in a perfect world.....

 

[xylene]

I suspect that he would be better off trying to get a payment plan from the service provider than taking out a loan

They have ZERO obligation to accept payments.

The provider is not going a accept a long term payment plan. They will have charges and interest too.

Companies are not interested in financing. Banks and Credit Unions are.

Get a small personal loan for the amount with a 36 to 48 month term and no prepayment penalty.

That way the monthly payment is small and manageable, but can be paid off all at once when money comes in.

Responsibly paying off a loan also looks great on credit, where settlement of an account and payment plan do not.

---

Why not me?

1) I am jerk and
2) I hate being charged an unreasonable amount by a for profit health care system that I generally have a low opinion of,
that is why I would not pay.

 

[seniorjudge]

And, remember that this incident was caused by the insured.

 

[gardengirl]

I hate being charged an unreasonable amount by a for profit health care system that I generally have a low opinion of, that is why I would not pay.
Excellent point, that is what got me going in the first place. $27.13 per mile is sort of like spitting in your face, after charging $1297. for the response.
My thought was that they might be more likely to take a reduced amount or a payment plan rather than have to sell the debt to a collection company?

 

[Zigner]

Yeah, well, in a perfect world.....

My point is that YOU (as a parent) need to advise your son of this fact. Your son needs to make himself aware of things like this.

EDIT:
If you already have talked to him about this, kudos to you

 

[Zigner]

My thought was that they might be more likely to take a reduced amount or a payment plan rather than have to sell the debt to a collection company?

Why is that?

 

[seniorjudge]

I hate being charged an unreasonable amount by a for profit health care system that I generally have a low opinion of, that is why I would not pay.
Excellent point, that is what got me going in the first place. $27.13 per mile is sort of like spitting in your face, after charging $1297. for the response.
My thought was that they might be more likely to take a reduced amount or a payment plan rather than have to sell the debt to a collection company?

Y'all loan the money to son to pay it in full.

Make him sign a promissory note, the whole deal.

Make it just like a business loan.

Make him pay it.

 

[Silverplum]

Excellent point, that is what got me going in the first place. $27.13 per mile is sort of like spitting in your face, after charging $1297. for the response.

You think?
I'll be sure to tell my oldest, who provides emergency medical care to the public, that they want the LOW GRADE care. The kind that costs, say, $0.02/mile.

 

[gardengirl]

Zigner, they might be more interested in getting something, than the thought of perhaps getting nothing. I am not saying that my son won't necessarily pay, but if they have concerns, and in this economy they SHOULD, particularly when they are charging such outrageous fees, then perhaps they will be open to negotiation.

 

[Zigner]

Zigner, they might be more interested in getting something, than the thought of perhaps getting nothing. I am not saying that my son won't necessarily pay, but if they have concerns, and in this economy they SHOULD, particularly when they are charging such outrageous fees, then perhaps they will be open to negotiation.

The word "outrageous" is your opinion...

It will be MUCH easier for them to sell the debt. They likely already have an agreement with a collection agency. If they agree to take payments, and the payment agreement is defaulted on, then they are back in the same position.

 

[gardengirl]

Silverplum, I suspect your son earns enough that he can afford to do his best in every situation, and the ambulance company still makes a huge profit.

 

[gardengirl]

It will be MUCH easier for them to sell the debt. They likely already have an agreement with a collection agency. If they agree to take payments, and the payment agreement is defaulted on, then they are back in the same position.
Hadn't thought of that - something to consider. Thanks

 

[Silverplum]

Silverplum, I suspect your son earns enough that he can afford to do his best in every situation, and the ambulance company still makes a huge profit.

He doesn't work for an ambulance company. But that's not the point.

What's the matter with profit?
Do YOU work for free?
Does your son work for free?
If not, why not?
I don't.

It is not evil to make money providing a service. Just because your son can't pay all of it at once, does not automatically make profit evil, or ambulance companies evil.