Can I avoid to pay emergency room bill?

recently I have been to emergency room and they didn't do much at all and sent me a bill for $ 2700 I couldn't believe in it. I am uninsured and cant really pay that much. Tho' they didn't get my ss #....only got drivers licence copy. Can I avoid paying this bill as they don't have my ss# and cant really damage my credit history?

Share

lina

Asked 5 days ago

Report abuse

0

and it was kinda emergency......and it was a middle of the night....i have never been to the emergency room.......and had no idea it was this expensive .....i am in my 20th and I never get sick.....and only once I went to walking clinic which was very cheap.......but this time I should of just stayed home....and I would feel better in the morning.......stupid move.......big mistake........

Report abuse

lina 4 days ago

Bummer. That's always a tough call.

Report abuse

skyDancer 3 days ago

Add comment

The fact that they didn't ask for your SS# doesn't mean they can't sue you or change your credit history. The information on your driver's license is enough for the police to identify you for traffic court. Why would it not be enough to identify you in civil court?

I agree that medical costs in the US are grossly out of control but consider that emergency rooms are for emergencies. When you use them as a regular doctor's visit, you leave the door open this kind of thing. You need to either get insurance or see a private practice doctor. Talk to the hospital to see if you can negotiate a more realistic price.

Rob

Answered 5 days ago

Report abuse

0

is it possible for the billing department to access my bank accounts or for the discount/charity program to see my savings account which would not qualify me for the program.........the thing is I am out of job for 4 month....paying rent and all the other bills....and my income last year was just a little over $15000....but I do have some money on my savings which I use for my living now that I am afraid will not qualify me for the discount program....

Report abuse

lina 4 days ago

If, by "access" you want to know if they can take money out of your bank account, they can't unless a judge puts a levy (court ordered removal) on the money. If you're asking can they find out if the money is there, I have no way of knowing that.

Again I would talk to them. If they sue you, explain your situation to the judge. Very few people (even judges) make so much money that they wouldn't consider paying that much money for a doctor's visit a total ripoff.

Report abuse

Rob 4 days ago

i dont think they can sue me....all I know after a month of due date for my bill they going to transfer my debt to the collections with who its going to be harder to settle down and negotiate the rate/amount I need to pay!!!!

Report abuse

lina 4 days ago

Don't know that I agree with you. Some organizations sell their high risk debts to collection agencies at a big discount. If the collector paid 10-20 percent (which is about the real value) for the debt and you settle for 50 percent, they're making money.

Report abuse

Rob 4 days ago

Add comment

I agree with Rob.

Talk to the hospital to see if you can renegotiate a lower fee or a payment arrangement. Also, ask them or your local social services office if you qualify for any assistance to pay it.

Depending on where you live, this can stay on your credit report for 7-10 years if you don't pay.

For non-emergencies, you can research your local area to see if there are low-cost medical options. There's one near me that I've referred people to that costs $65 per visit. Maybe you could find something like that.

For real emergencies, a $2700 bill is better than dying.

skyDancer

Answered 5 days ago

Report abuse

0

is it possible for the billing department to access my bank accounts or for the discount/charity program to see my savings account which would not qualify me for the program.........the thing is I am out of job for 4 month....paying rent and all the other bills....and my income last year was just a little over $15000....but I do have some money on my savings which I use for my living now that I am afraid will not qualify me for the discount program....

Report abuse

lina 4 days ago

Don't let fear keep you from applying. The application form may ask for bank account balances, it may not. If you're out of work, and made $15k last year, I'm *guessing* they would pay more attention to that than to your account balance... unless you've got tens of thousands of dollars.

You don't want to damage your credit by letting this go into collections, so avoid that if you can.

Report abuse

skyDancer 3 days ago

Add comment