Legal Question in Credit and Debt Law in Pennsylvania
I was in the hospital for a procedure in December 2006. It was an out-patient procedure, but at the time I did not have any medical insurance. I made arrangements with the hospital to send them a monthly payment, which I have been doing since Jan 2007. I recently received a statement from a collections agency that the remaining balance had been turned over for payment to them in full. Is this legal for a hospital to send the bill to a collection agency even though I have been making monthly payments? And what options do I have now? I could not afford to pay the hospital the full amount and I surely do not have the resources to pay the collection agency in full. I am a widow, I do work full time, and I pay my bills on time.
1 Answer from Attorneys
Were your arrangements with the hospital in writing? If not, it will be very hard to prove that an arrangement existed.
Never trust a corporation to honor its word.