Best way to deal with (small) medical bill collection?

I have a small medical bill ($100) that slipped through the cracks and was sent to collection. The collector is asking me for something around $190. I just want to get rid of this quickly. What are the best steps to take?

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I don’t have personal experience, but from what I’ve read, you offer them $25 in exchange for deleting the negative info (pay for delete at 25 cents on the dollar of the original amount). They likely got it for much less than the original amount, that’s why you can offer less.

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Not all debt is sold for pennies on the dollar. In this case, there’s a decent chance $90 is the collector’s fee with the full $100 going to the creditor. If it’s even a collector at all, and not just a different “collections” department within the creditor’s operations.

Being all of $100, there isnt much to gain from messing around. Just call up the place you owe and offer to pay it as long as they agree to consider it on time/not late. The money is negligible, especially for something you would’ve already paid in full had it not slipped through the cracks. The potential blemish on the credit report should be your primary, and perhaps only, concern.

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Second this. Especially if this hasn’t hit your CR yet. Just pay the original creditor and dispute the debt with the collection agency. I’ve done this several times.

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After how many days did they send it to collections? I heard 100 days is usually the minimum while some places wait 180 days.

I do not know much on this stuff. But to rid medical collections (im not sure what stage you are in) google “whychat medical collections”. That should do it. Hold on ill link it.

https://whychat.me/GUIDE%20HIPAA%20PROGRAM.html

I don’t recall, probably 6 months-ish. I’ve had some that never got sent to collections at all. Walked out on a 3k hospital bill 7 years ago and haven’t heard anything in at least 5 years now.

Following up on this after a long time. (Too damn busy to deal with this crap…!) So are you suggesting to offer to pay the medical office that I originally owed? This was a bill from last year.

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Yes.

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I wouldn’t offer, but I wouldn’t have waited another 60 days either. Get dunning letter -> pay small bill to OC > dispute collection activity. If you missed the deadline for the dispute ,you are in a whole different territory.

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