M5M5
Carpal \'Tunnel
Reged: 07/29/05
Posts: 11722
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A little over 2 years ago, we filed for bankruptcy. We have been trying to improve our credit since then since we do eventually want to buy a house. Well, several times in the past year, we have been getting calls from collection agencies for new medical bills for SD. Now for the entire year of 2010, BM was doctor hopping (and yes, she knew we went thru bankruptcy as she was notified by the powers that be) b/c SD was having "headaches". Went to allergists, neurologists, etc. 2 different doctors told BM and SD it was all in her head because there was NOTHING wrong with her. All that did was make them mad and find new doctors.
Earlier this year, we started getting the calls from collections and bills in the mail. Now...we did NOT get any bills in the mail before they went into collections...only after. BM is not paying the medical bills and hasn't been since 2009. The CO says she is to pay all medical bills and we reimburse HER for half @ $50 per month. Which, we have been doing. But now...we are getting bills for SD...in the thousands from 2010 and a few from 2011 (she got hit in the head with soccer ball so she went to ER twice and a few other doctors). BM has figured out that if she takes SD to certain doctors/hospitals, they come after DH since he carries the insurance....rather than her. Like, before, she would ALWAYS take her to Children's hosp. and they would bill her....she has figured out that if she takes her to [censored] hospital, they bill dad. And one of the ER visits? Was for a headache. Yeah.
Is there anything we can do? I mean, we are paying BM $50 per month, and now we have these medical bills (one big one is already on his credit...just found out a month ago) in collections and we are supposed to somehow come up with $$$$ to pay them off so they won't go on his credit. Can we dispute them since BM is supposed to pay them and we have been paying her?
Edited by M5M5 (01/06/12 04:19 PM)
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gr8Dad
Carpal \'Tunnel
Reged: 06/07/04
Posts: 30203
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Take the portion of the court order that addresses this, copy it, send it BACK to the creditors, with a short note explaining that you did NOT sign for these things as the responsible party, and the court order is quite clear, and they are NOT your bills.
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Why give a "senior" discount, they have had plenty of time to raise the money...
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Sadie
addict
Reged: 06/03/05
Posts: 567
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I think he can fight the bill on his credit since he didnt sign for/ agree to be responsible for the bill.
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M5M5
Carpal \'Tunnel
Reged: 07/29/05
Posts: 11722
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Thanks...I think that's what we will do. I asked DH what we would do if when our adult kids go to these doctors that like to bill the policy holder instead of the responsible party, especially when one or more won't pay their bills (I see SS18 and SD doing this)....we'd have to drop them from the policy I guess? It doesn't seem right at all.
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Sampoe
enthusiast
Reged: 01/27/11
Posts: 325
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I'll answer this question because well, I'm feeling jolly. Whomever is the primary insured is responsible (if on a group), as far as the doctors and hospitals are concerned. Now, the court will see it differently and will put a judgement on the Mother, if what you describe is in the court order. Went through this a couple of years back with step son.
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Sherron
Carpal \'Tunnel
Reged: 11/25/06
Posts: 20056
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"Earlier this year, we started getting the calls from collections and bills in the mail."
Are the bills in collections new ones that she has never presented in court for you to pay, or do you already owe her for them? I hope you and dh are keeping track, so you don't end up owing her twice for the same bills while having your credit ruined in the process.
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M5M5
Carpal \'Tunnel
Reged: 07/29/05
Posts: 11722
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The last bills she presented to the court was in 2007. That is when it was ordered that we are to pay her $50 per month total on all past and future medical bills, and she is supposed to send us the bills no more than twice a year. The last "bill" we got from her was in June 2009 and she failed to provide receipts for the expenses (she is required to per CO). We went the next year asking for the receipts...she never sent them. We think that she will say she has been sending them all along and paying them herself once SD graduates (or before since CS is supposed to stop a few months before she graduates as we are over paid).
Anyhow...since we've not received a bill from her since 2009, these are new bills from 2010 and 2011. We are still making the $50 per month payments to her.
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Sherron
Carpal \'Tunnel
Reged: 11/25/06
Posts: 20056
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Sounds like a huge mess... how do you know how much you actually legitimately owe her right now, have you been keeping a spreadsheet? So all the bills that have gone into collections for the last 2+years when she was doctor shopping... they were all addressed to your dh? Yikes. Did you get a response yet from the collection agencies? Did dh dispute the item on his credit report?
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M5M5
Carpal \'Tunnel
Reged: 07/29/05
Posts: 11722
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Yes, we've been keeping a spreadsheet. The court awarded her 6K in medical/extra curricular bills...so that's the amount we started with in 2007..and just added the other bills she sent us in the spreadsheet (as long as there were receipts..it got to over 7K not including the 2 years of recent stuff). The stuff for the past 2+ years...they have ALL been going to DH, but not until AFTER it was sent to collections (which I think is beyond wrong...how is he supposed to pay something he knows nothing about?). DH is disputing the one item on his credit report, and he is going to call the Collection Agency that holds the others tomorrow.
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javajunkiee
Carpal \'Tunnel
Reged: 06/01/08
Posts: 3155
Loc: SC
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M5, please do not call the CA. Write them until you can come to some kind of agreement! You don't know what kind of CA you're dealing with yet, and if they're one of the unethical ones you can end up with more problems. If you're already in collections, the extra couple of days a letter takes will not do any more harm than has already been done.
One other thing you might want to consider is to include in the letter if you send it is that your DH is not to be contacted at work. Once a CA knows you're willing to settle the debt, the phone calls will get worse, and unless you tell them not to they may call him at work.
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Marriage doesn't come with a money-back guarantee.
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