People tend to think of medical businesses, including physician practices and hospitals, as innately compassionate businesses. They may advertise themselves as providing compassionate care to patients. There is an expectation that medical workers should care about the people seeking treatment.
Unfortunately, many patients learn the hard way that medical creditors are often not compassionate at all. In fact, they are notoriously aggressive in their attempts to collect on unpaid medical bills, even in cases where patients may have just finished cancer treatment or survived staggering car crash injuries.
Medical creditors often sue patients
As soon as an individual ends their treatment or secures a discharge from a hospital, collection efforts typically start. People without insurance, those who received out-of-network care and insured individuals with high deductibles may have thousands of dollars in medical expenses to address.
If they cannot pay immediately or adhere to a strict payment plan, their creditors may sue them. There are cases of healthcare organizations suing patients for less than $100 in outstanding medical debt.
The stress caused by aggressive collection efforts and lawsuits can undermine a patient’s health as they recover from an illness or injury. The lawsuit they face could also result in wage garnishment or a lien against the home where they live.
Anyone facing aggressive medical collections may need assistance fighting back. Especially after service for a pending lawsuit, those with outstanding medical debts may need to consider bankruptcy.
Filing for bankruptcy can provide an automatic stay that holds collection efforts and lawsuits. Filers can also discharge on secured medical debts. Realizing that medical creditors may be quite aggressive can help people respond effectively to collection calls and lawsuits.