Legal Question in Civil Litigation in Florida
unpaid medical bill balance sent to collections
i have received a balance due statement from my doctor with notice that the account will be sent to collections if unpaid. i paid the deductible & co-insurance & the insurance company has paid their portion, also i strongly disagree with their bill. is there a law in florida that prevents them from sending this to collections & do i have the right to refuse payment? could you site the law for my reference? thank you.
1 Answer from Attorneys
Collection efforts
There is no law I am aware of prohibiting themfrom referring the matter to a collection agency.However, there are state and federal laws thatseverely restrict what a collection agency can do.Once you are contacted, notify the agency in writingthat you dispute the debt and you should not be bothered any longer. I suggest you make an appointmentto see an attorney to learn about what other rightsyou have. I cannot recall the specific statutenumbers but you can easily find them in the index or table of contents under Consumer Collection Practices.