My question involves collection proceedings in the State of: Texas
Some months ago, my husband was a victim of assault and had to be airlifted to the hospital. I'm not sure I would have been listened to if I had declined the airlift, since it was EMS that called in the chopper, but that's irrelevant because I didn't try to decline (because, y'know, I didn't want my husband dead). The paramedics told me he needed to get to a trauma center ASAP, and they were concerned about driving him out over our country roads, so I let them do what they needed to do.
At the risk of sounding heartless, I would like to state here that while I didn't try to decline the airlift, I didn't explicitly consent to it, either. At the time I was more out of my head with worry and in a bit of shock from what had just happened.
The bill for the airlift came back at almost $30,000. Fine. We can't afford to pay it, but I'm not arguing that, as of now, we're on the hook for it. We're currently wrapped up in various proceedings that may result in restitution/damages by the time it's all over, and we're applying for crime victim's compensation as well. The original amount of the bill isn't an issue for me right now (legally speaking, anyway).
Anyway, the other day we received a bill from a collection agency. (I'm guessing the airlift company is clearing out past due accounts in advance of the new year.) The bill has an additional $900 in interest tacked on. This is the first contact we've had from any collector regarding this bill.
I'm wondering if the collection agency can legally charge interest on this particular bill - as far as I've been able to find out (frustratingly little), medical bills can only have interest added if it's disclosed and agreed upon in the original contract for services, and I'm not sure how that's affected by being in collections. We didn't sign any paperwork for the airlift itself, I had absolutely no contact with any of their personnel until after the bill was delivered (they had to take my husband to a nearby field for the chopper to land, and he wasn't conscious and coherent at the time to give consent), and there was absolutely no mention of interest until the collections bill came.
If my understanding of this is wrong, can someone explain it to me? If they can't charge interest, how should I handle disputing only that portion of the bill? I'm assuming that the debt was sold rather than contracted, but if that's not the case, is there anything I can do to keep the bill from going back to collections (once it reverts to the owner) until the court cases are handled?
My biggest concern is that even if full restitution is ordered, if the debt is accruing interest, the interest will quickly outstrip the amount ordered. Even if it's covered by CVC, I don't really feel the fund needs to be paying interest on this bill, on top of the bill itself. Any advice is welcome.
Some months ago, my husband was a victim of assault and had to be airlifted to the hospital. I'm not sure I would have been listened to if I had declined the airlift, since it was EMS that called in the chopper, but that's irrelevant because I didn't try to decline (because, y'know, I didn't want my husband dead). The paramedics told me he needed to get to a trauma center ASAP, and they were concerned about driving him out over our country roads, so I let them do what they needed to do.
At the risk of sounding heartless, I would like to state here that while I didn't try to decline the airlift, I didn't explicitly consent to it, either. At the time I was more out of my head with worry and in a bit of shock from what had just happened.
The bill for the airlift came back at almost $30,000. Fine. We can't afford to pay it, but I'm not arguing that, as of now, we're on the hook for it. We're currently wrapped up in various proceedings that may result in restitution/damages by the time it's all over, and we're applying for crime victim's compensation as well. The original amount of the bill isn't an issue for me right now (legally speaking, anyway).
Anyway, the other day we received a bill from a collection agency. (I'm guessing the airlift company is clearing out past due accounts in advance of the new year.) The bill has an additional $900 in interest tacked on. This is the first contact we've had from any collector regarding this bill.
I'm wondering if the collection agency can legally charge interest on this particular bill - as far as I've been able to find out (frustratingly little), medical bills can only have interest added if it's disclosed and agreed upon in the original contract for services, and I'm not sure how that's affected by being in collections. We didn't sign any paperwork for the airlift itself, I had absolutely no contact with any of their personnel until after the bill was delivered (they had to take my husband to a nearby field for the chopper to land, and he wasn't conscious and coherent at the time to give consent), and there was absolutely no mention of interest until the collections bill came.
If my understanding of this is wrong, can someone explain it to me? If they can't charge interest, how should I handle disputing only that portion of the bill? I'm assuming that the debt was sold rather than contracted, but if that's not the case, is there anything I can do to keep the bill from going back to collections (once it reverts to the owner) until the court cases are handled?
My biggest concern is that even if full restitution is ordered, if the debt is accruing interest, the interest will quickly outstrip the amount ordered. Even if it's covered by CVC, I don't really feel the fund needs to be paying interest on this bill, on top of the bill itself. Any advice is welcome.
Debt Collectors: Interest Charges on Emergency Medical Services
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