Collection harassment.
My aunt was hospitalized in 2021, went to ER and hospital provider did not put the claims into her insurance for the CT scans.
My aunt is hospice care at home, there are two aunts I am caregiving for at home.
The provider put my aunt that was hospitalized in 2021 in collections in 2022. The provider never looked to see if they filed those claims, they assumed they did and put aunt in collections that never was filed through the insurance company.
I called them and spent 4 hrs on the phone to find out that they never put the claim in to insurance.
Now, the provider cannot help because they said they wrote my aunt as they're procedure and now we have to speak to collections.
How or why do we need to clear up there mistake?
My aunt cannot pay this. And there were no claims. Now the collection agency is harassing my aunt for payment.
What can we do to stop Harrassment and not pay for the providers mistake?
If anyone could help me on how to proceed to help my aunt who is hospice care with dementia/alzheimer.
She cannot fight for this so I have to do it on her behalf.
7 Answers
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When you get a collection call, you tell them that the provider has agreed they never billed insurance. Because of that, you feel its an error on the part of the provider, not Aunts unwillingness to pay. You then tell them that Aunt is on hospice and has no money and because of this, they are not to call her anymore. Since this has been going on for awhile, you need to talk to a supervisor not the person calling you. The person calling you works on commission so will do anything to get that commission, even going against FTC rules which are very stricted when it comes to collection agencies. Get the persons name and direct phone#.
You need to tell the provider to do whatever they need to to stop the collection company from calling ur Aunt. THEY need (I was told this by my insurance company)to straighten the problem out, because its their fault or write off the debt.
If you get nowhere, then u contact the FTC (Federal trade Commission) and put a claim in against the collection agency and maybe the provider.
Your Aunt should not pay for an error the provider made. I was a collector for companies collecting from customers. I was allowed to do things collection agencies aren't. At this point your Aunt owes nothing.
BUT, while it is so very valiant that you want to help your aunt, technically the debt is non enforceable. There is limited options for the collections agency to actually get any money from a woman that is considered to have 6 months or less to live (the definition of being on hospice). There is a very small chance that the collections agency MIGHT pursue a claim against your aunt's estate, but even then, the chances of eventually getting money is limited. The collections agency's biggest "stick" is to ding one's credit rating. Does it matter to you or your aunt if her credit is dinged at this point?
Tell collections to stop calling as it is not yours.
None of this is your business and you can't do a thing about it, nor should you. If you assume a payment you may be considered to "take on" this debt. Ignore it.
Your Aunt no longer needs credit. No collection agency will take her to court for a judgement against her, and if they did it would simply put a lean on any assets such as a home, and debt would be paid upon sale.
Don't worry about this; it isn't your duty unless you have taken on financial POA for your Aunt.
In 2008 I had neck surgery. The OR surgeons assistants ( a medical company) billed me $3500.00 after the surgery saying my insurance didn't cover their service. After many attempts to collect this payment from me, I finally sent them a letter stating that I never agreed to pay charges that were NOT covered under my insurance policy. That they should have checked BEFOREHAND if their service was covered and now would have to write off the charges as a result bc I WAS NOT PAYING. I copied the surgeon and my fictitious attorney, and that was the last I heard from these people.
That aunts provider did not submit claims on her behalf is NOT your problem or her problem! Tear up the bills and block the collection agency's numbers when they call. If you answer, tell them nobody lives there by that name. And, tell them what I told AT&T: try billing the cemetery, you'll have better luck!
You have a right to tell them to stop calling and harrassing you/her, and by law they have to stop.
Keep a log of any calls after that, and let them know you have asked them to stop and each subsequent call will go toward the lawsuit you'll be filing. Then hang up.
Your aunt is dying, and the claim should die with her.