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I'd love to adopt this strategy as well, but I worry about the clinic eventually forcing me to pay somehow and adding a bunch of penalties on top. Is there a wa

I'd love to adopt this strategy as well, but I worry about the clinic eventually forcing me to pay somehow and adding a bunch of penalties on top. Is there a way to mitigate that risk? Or is that risk unlikely in a way I'm not considering?

tptacek 3y ago
I'm not a lawyer, or a financial advisor. So: they could in theory sue you. But they're doing this to everybody, so unless you think they're going to sue everybody, I think it's a pretty safe bet? This has been my stance for over 10 years. I'll gladly pay if you ask me up front (or on the way out). Otherwise, fuck off. I get how this attitude could sound shocking. I have friends who take a similar approach to other things and get away with it; most notably, a friend who refuses on principle to pay parking tickets. I pay parking tickets, and I still get whomped every 5 years or so with some absurd backlog of missed tickets and a boot, so I don't understand how this works for them. But it does! You probably don't want to get me started on credit scores.
toast0 3y ago
First off: I suggest you pay any reasonable bills you know you incurred and can pay. Don't be a deadbeat. That said... As I understand it, it's pretty typical for these bills to be sold, and once that happens, the originator doesn't really care anymore. They got what they got and it's written off. Maybe they won't see you anymore, because you don't pay your bills; maybe they don't really care because lots of people don't pay their bills; if they were smart, they'd bill you at time of service, but chances are they're not organizationally capable of billing at time of service. If they won't see you anymore and you have limited options for medical care or they're the best option for medical care; you'll need to settle up. If not, the clinic has no means or desire to force you to pay. The debt collectors have a time limited option to take you to court for repayment, but most of the bills aren't worth the effort, so you can probably wait it out. It might ding your credit, but if it comes up, you say 'hey, this bill correct' and it's a medical bill and everyone believes you. If the debt collectors do file a suit, and you have the money to pay, negotiate a payout then.

tptacek 3y ago

I'm not a lawyer, or a financial advisor. So: they could in theory sue you. But they're doing this to everybody, so unless you think they're going to sue everybody, I think it's a pretty safe bet? This has been my stance for over 10 years. I'll gladly pay if you ask me up front (or on the way out). Otherwise, fuck off. I get how this attitude could sound shocking. I have friends who take a similar approach to other things and get away with it; most notably, a friend who refuses on principle to pay parking tickets. I pay parking tickets, and I still get whomped every 5 years or so with some absurd backlog of missed tickets and a boot, so I don't understand how this works for them. But it does! You probably don't want to get me started on credit scores.

toast0 3y ago

First off: I suggest you pay any reasonable bills you know you incurred and can pay. Don't be a deadbeat. That said... As I understand it, it's pretty typical for these bills to be sold, and once that happens, the originator doesn't really care anymore. They got what they got and it's written off. Maybe they won't see you anymore, because you don't pay your bills; maybe they don't really care because lots of people don't pay their bills; if they were smart, they'd bill you at time of service, but chances are they're not organizationally capable of billing at time of service. If they won't see you anymore and you have limited options for medical care or they're the best option for medical care; you'll need to settle up. If not, the clinic has no means or desire to force you to pay. The debt collectors have a time limited option to take you to court for repayment, but most of the bills aren't worth the effort, so you can probably wait it out. It might ding your credit, but if it comes up, you say 'hey, this bill correct' and it's a medical bill and everyone believes you. If the debt collectors do file a suit, and you have the money to pay, negotiate a payout then.