How can I contest a medical billif thereno proof that service has been received?
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How can I contest a medical billif thereno proof that service has been received?
I am uninsured/self pay, so I am very careful about what procedures I approve and always ask for copies for myself, which to date has not caused any problems. A radiology and nuclear medicine company was contracted (assumed at this point) by a local hospital to read my CT scan and billed me accordingly. I called the aforementioned company and asked for a copy of their report and they refused. Now the debt has been turned over to a collection agency and I still have not received a copy of the report. What are my options?
Asked on April 6, 2011 under Bankruptcy Law, Kansas
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 13 years ago | Contributor
If you are being contacted by a third-party collection agency (not the original company which claims to have done the work and which claimed you owed it money), you have the right to request, in writing, that they provide proof of the debt. Indeed, you have a number of important rights against third party debt collectors or collection agencies under the "Fair Debt Collections Practices Act," and I've inserted a link to the text of the act below. Note that most of your rights, you have to assert or request in writing.
More generally, to collect money from you, they will have to sue you; and at trial, they would have to prove the existence and amount of the alleged debt.
Here is the link: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre27.pdf
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