Medical billing and debt collection in the US

[Flubber]

What are we waiting for to imitate this system's efficiency?

THAT is a much more involved discussion. The care he received was very good but the multiple bills all collected separately seemed very inefficient.

[KrazyHorse]

I once had a collection agency after me for 6 months for a supposed 34$ bill I owed for newspaper delivery (it was billed for service after I canceled).Also, I suggest you let them know that you're a lawyer and see how they react to that.

[Flubber]

Also, I suggest you let them know that you're a lawyer and see how they react to that.

I haven't mentioned it in the prior call but probably will if there is more contact. I don't think my being a lawyer will be a big deal to them but it should mean they would see me as less likely to cave-- "Oooh you are chasing me for 711 dollars" (tremble tremble)

[Flubber]

Oh and if they actually try to do something with the credit agencies here, I will know fairly quickly . My bank provides free monitoring of my credit report and I get an email every time there is activity. In have seen this works -- when I got a store credit card to get a bigger discount, sure enough I received an email when they did their credit inquiry

[Aeson]

This is why I always use my 976 number when creating accounts...

[Darius871]

If you send them a letter saying "stop contacting me" then they're required by law to stop contacting you. (Obviously this doesn't work on the original biller, but it will work on any and all US-based collection agencies)

After they receive the letter they are allowed to send you one final notice. If they've failed to do this then report them to the federal trade commission.

This isn't necessarily true. Given the character of the debt and the third-party posture they might technically violate the FDCPA, but they might also be realistic enough to figure that a Canadian's U.S. counsel would have a hell of a time establishing proper venue and jurisdiction to bring a private action. Meanwhile the understaffed FTC has too many bigger fish to fry to even glance at a "report" about one ignored cease and desist letter, or even thousands (believe me, I've worked there). But 9 times out of 10 times yes, they'll toss the account in their write-off or legal buckets.

[Darius871]

the absurdity that they would chase me for 711 dollars in any practical way

I wouldn't be quite so cocksure about that one either. Presumably the original provider had a cost of collection clause in their boilerplate, and even if they didn't, Canada follows the English Rule, does it not? Welfare for Lawyers 101: if they retained a voracious animal like me, I'd relentlessly fee it up until $711 becomes an obscene $5000, because I know you make enough to pay eventually, whether through a direct suit by local counsel or through a U.S. suit ultimately domesticated via treaty or basic comity principles. There's virtually nothing to lose if you're already known to have unencumbered assets, which is presumably the case because A) you are so liquid as to "n[o]t need credit" (which they now know) and B) you're an experienced attorney on Big Oil's teat (which they don't know yet but could easily find out).

Come to think of it, what's your full name and the creditor's name? Just curious.

[Asher]

What a bizarrely ****ed up health care system.

[KrazyHorse]

Why are you conflating billing difficulties with the health care system as a whole?

[Asher]

The requisite complexity in the billing process is one of many faults of the system as a whole.

[KrazyHorse]

That complexity is not requisite any more than it would be requisite for a car company to send you 12 different bills for various stages in the production process.

[MikeH]

Not being requisite, but still happening, suggests people aren't able to choose a hospital that doesn't bill like that. Because if a car company billed like that, we could expect that they'd lose sales.

[loinburger]

A common problem with hospitals is that one of the doctors needed for your surgery (often the anesthesiologist) isn't covered by your insurance. The problem is that this is true of every hospital, so shopping around won't help much.

[MikeH]

WTF?!

Why aren't all doctors covered?

The more I find out about the US system the more ludicrous it turns out it really is.

[loinburger]

HMO's and PPO's only cover doctors who they can get to sign contracts agreeing to charge the insurance company's rate, not their own rate. The PPO's I've had will also cover a pittance for doctors who haven't signed a contract, so when I had surgery they covered something like $500 for the anesthesiologist leaving me to pay the remaining $2000

As for why the insurance companies do this - it saves them money