NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF/CONSUMER REPORTS) — If you've ever been contacted by a collection agency because of a medical debt, you are not alone. More than 40 million people have unpaid medical bills that have been sent to collections. Consumer Reports has advice on what to do before you pay anything.
The first thing is to understand that almost half of those bills contain at least one error. So before you make any payments towards your medical debt, you need to know how to fight back.
Earlier this summer Lauren MacNeill got a curious bill from a collection agency saying she owed $71 dollars to an urgent care center she never visited.
“I believe that they just made a mistake. I had never been to that urgent care," MacNeill said.
She reached out to Consumer Reports Investigative Reporter Lisa Gill for help.
"Lauren’s case is a textbook example of why you should almost always push pause when contacted by a debt collector for a medical bill," Gill said.
If you’re contacted by a debt collector for a medical bill you believe to be wrong, never pay it right away. Instead, Consumer Reports says to take these steps.
Gather as much info as you can, including the name of the collection agency, the person you’re speaking with, their phone number, address, email, and as much information about the bill as possible.
"There are a lot of scams out there - so doing this can deter any phony debt collector," Gill said.
Next, ask the debt collector to send verification of the debt. You can expect to receive information on the debt in the mail within about five days after your request.
If the verification letter shows an error, file a dispute in writing by either email or certified letter within 30 days or else the collection agency will assume the debt is valid.
"We ended up having Lauren send a certified letter documenting the alleged errors and stating that she had no obligation to pay the bill. She still hasn’t heard back, so she’s not obligated to pay any of the debt," Gill said.
Lastly, there is a statute of limitations on how long a debt can be collected. So do not pay any part of the debt until you’re sure you still owe it.
