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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Texas
    Posts
    2

    Post Medical Bill Collection in California

    I moved from California to Texas just over a year ago. I had my appendix removed just before I moved from California. I am monitoring my credit report and I just found out that a $76 medical bill was sent to a collection agency and they put it on my credit report this month.

    I was not contacted (either by mail or phone) from the collection agency/Dr. Office that I owed this. Doesn't the collection agency have to contact me and then wouldn't there be something like 30 days to pay BEFORE they put it on my credit report? I have not contacted them about it yet, I was just trying to see what my options were and see if this would be considered an error and could be removed from my credit report.

    Thank you,

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    supratentorial region
    Posts
    818

    Default Re: Medical Bill collection from California

    Is it possible the Doctor's office sent the bill to your old address in Texas and it wasn't forwarded?

    The Doctor's office may not have received a final determination from your insurance company until well after you moved. Sometimes it take 90 days or more from the time the insurance company received the claim. When they did not get a reply or payment, they may have felt they had no choice but forwarding you account to collections.

    Try contacting the Doctor's office first. Explain the circumstances and offer to remit payment immediately. Depending upon the agreement they have with the collection agency, they may be able to take care of it. Be aware that it may now be out of their hands and you'll have to deal directly with the collection agency. Make sure you receive a receipt for the payment.

    Hope this information helps. Good luck.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Texas
    Posts
    2

    Default Re: Medical Bill collection from California

    Quote Quoting lealea1005
    View Post
    Is it possible the Doctor's office sent the bill to your old address in Texas and it wasn't forwarded?

    The Doctor's office may not have received a final determination from your insurance company until well after you moved. Sometimes it take 90 days or more from the time the insurance company received the claim. When they did not get a reply or payment, they may have felt they had no choice but forwarding you account to collections.

    Try contacting the Doctor's office first. Explain the circumstances and offer to remit payment immediately. Depending upon the agreement they have with the collection agency, they may be able to take care of it. Be aware that it may now be out of their hands and you'll have to deal directly with the collection agency. Make sure you receive a receipt for the payment.

    Hope this information helps. Good luck.
    Thank you for your suggestion. I did try to contact the Doctors office and they told me I would have to deal with the collection agency. I then called the collection agency and they told me they mailed something to my current address in October 2006 but that it was returned to them as undeliverable by the post office. They read the address off to me and it is my current address. The only suggestion they offered was to pay the bill and then submit a request in writing to have it removed from my credit report but they could not guarantee that it would be removed. They said they definitely understood the situation but this was the only way to handle this matter.

    I asked them if they had proof that the letter was returned to them as undeliverable and they said they do not keep copies of anything returned; they only notate it in their system.

    I want to pay the bill but I just have a hard time believing that their mail was returned by the post office when I have never had this problem before. I mean they could have written the address wrong on the envelope.

    They are not being very easy to work with. I guess I will have to see what options I can work out, if any. There just seem to be something very wrong with this situation.

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