Collections
What a collection notice is actually telling you
Three things to check before you panic.
A collection notice is frightening and mostly procedural. Check three things.
1. Is it from the original creditor or an agency?
A provider's own billing office sending a notice is in-house collection. A separate company is a third-party collector, and different rules apply, including your right to request validation.
2. Is the amount actually what the insurer says you owe?
In our case a paper notice arrived for a balance that the provider's own portal showed as unpaid by insurance. Before responding to any collection notice, compare the amount against the EOB. If insurance has not processed the claim, the number on the notice may be fiction.
3. What is the deadline and what happens if you miss it?
Know whether this is a final notice before referral. If it is, respond in writing the same day.
What to do
Send a written hold request with the non-admission sentence in it, keep proof of delivery, and ask for written confirmation of the hold. Do not pay to make the notice stop, and do not ignore it.
Not legal advice. If you are being sued or have a judgment, stop and get a lawyer.