Q: What happens if I don't pay some medical bills I can't afford? Can I just ignore them?
I have a lot of medical bills and more coming. I am going to be paying on one that was sent to collections for the next 17 years. I was told I don't have to pay them. That they can't take me to court, it won't affect our credit rating and they can't garnish my wages. Is this true?
A:
Medical bills are unsecured debt. If they are not paid, you can be sued and a judgment can be entered against you. A judgment creditor has a number of remedies, including garnishing wages, tax refunds and bank accounts, seizing property, putting liens on real property you own, and requiring you to come to court for creditors examinations under oath. It sounds like the advice you were given was not good advice. If the bill is yours, you will need to find a way to deal with it. I would not ignore it.
As always, you get what you pay for. Be sure to talk to a qualified attorney about your specific situation before choosing to rely on information you get from internet discussion boards such as this one.
Tim Akpinar agrees with this answer
1 user found this answer helpful
A:
Ignoring the bills would not be a good course of action. There are a number of options for dealing with the situation, such as attempting to negotiate bills, retaining an attorney to negotiate bills, retaining an attorney to defend collection action, etc.
Tim Akpinar
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