Medical bills can be run up with hospitals, doctors, pharmacists and physical therapists. Medical debt can also result from using medical services such as laboratories and durable medical equipment suppliers like home oxygen tank vendors. All of these medical service providers and merchants can seek collection of outstanding bills and unpaid debts.
Responsibility
Patients can be held liable for the medical costs that their insurance did not cover. Both parents are responsible for the medical costs incurred by a minor child. If someone dies with unpaid medical debt, the bill can be sent to the executor of their estate.
Medical Debt Collection Laws
Medical debt collections must follow the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act or FDCPA. Collections can be enforced via lawsuits, liens against property, and wage garnishment. Medical debt collectors for both doctors and merchants must provide a fully detailed bill of the charges when they are seeking payment. According to "Lippincott Williams & Wilkins' Administrative Medical Assisting" by Elizabeth Molle and Laura Durham, hospitals can also collect interest on debt when they extended a line of credit as long as that was disclosed to the patient.
Medical Collection Enforcement Options
Doctors and medical-service providers can refuse to provide services to those who owe them money unless it is a life-threatening emergency. Medical service providers can also cancel scheduled appointments until payment is made.
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