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Extremism of absurd medical bills - "Medical debt collectors are hounding my 9-year-old son"
World's greatest healthcare system hard at work...
Surveys show that nearly 79 million Americans have struggled with medical billing problems or are paying down medical debt [2]. And errors are common, and disputes happen frequently: Medical debt in collections is challenged almost three times more often than credit card debt.
These disputes can start with something as small as a clerical error.
In one mother’s case, her 9‑year‑old son ended up with a $3,000 bill after a specialist’s office completed testing and her insurance denied the claim. She qualified for financial assistance that would have reduced the bill to $450, but the application required the responsible party to be over 18. She tried getting herself listed as the responsible party, but three months later the debt was sold to a collection agency, still in her son’s name.
This kind of situation happens more often than many realize. Federal law under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) prohibits collectors from pursuing debts without proper verification, misrepresenting amounts owed or attempting to collect for services not actually provided.
https://www.aol.com/finance/debt-collector-9-old-son-103000701.html
These disputes can start with something as small as a clerical error.
In one mother’s case, her 9‑year‑old son ended up with a $3,000 bill after a specialist’s office completed testing and her insurance denied the claim. She qualified for financial assistance that would have reduced the bill to $450, but the application required the responsible party to be over 18. She tried getting herself listed as the responsible party, but three months later the debt was sold to a collection agency, still in her son’s name.
This kind of situation happens more often than many realize. Federal law under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) prohibits collectors from pursuing debts without proper verification, misrepresenting amounts owed or attempting to collect for services not actually provided.
https://www.aol.com/finance/debt-collector-9-old-son-103000701.html
2 replies
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