Create a Collection Letter for Past Due Invoices for Facilities Effortlessly

Collection letter for past due invoices for Facilities

- The other thing is, they don't aways get the bills. So they can't really talk to you about the-- - [Trevor] What it's for. - about the actual itemized billing. - [Judy] They can't even tell you-- - So, how are they going to talk to you about a bill if you have a question? - [Judy] Right. - I've seen it happen where you don't even get the original bills, for whatever reason, you thought insurance covered it, you don't know, you didn't, I don't know, maybe you moved, maybe they had your wrong address, you never get those original bills, and then all of a sudden, you get this nasty letter from a collection agency that we're gonna garnish your wages, we're gonna-- - It happens a lot on lab work, especially. - What are some things that people can do when they find themselves in this situation, where, collectors are coming after them, they don't even know what it's for, it seems really high, how do they negotiate that? - As a very former bill collector, who knows the ins and outs, the very first thing you do is deny everything. Deny it all. I want proof. I want an itemized list, I want every single dollar accounted for, and I'm disputing the bill, because you're given thirty days in which to dispute a bill, after that it's presumed to be justified. But you should also do, once you dispute it, is stay in communication, stay in conversation. Most people don't like to talk to bill collectors-- - [Craig] No. - Believe it or not, bill collectors don't like to talk to bill collectors. So, if what you're able to do is get into a conversation with that person, you'll find out that their job is to correct misinformation, to do the things right, so that you can be in a position to complete your obligation. So these are not the bad guys, they're just doing the best that they can with what they've got too. - Every bill is negotiable. Every bill. What you should negotiate, if you're not going to a hospital, if you're going to a doctor, should negotiate before he delivers the service. If you don't have insurance, and like 10% of the people don't have insurance, right? You go to a doctor, you say, "What does your best insurance company pay you? "I want to pay that." They're not gonna, why would they not do the usual and customary charge for you, if you don't have insurance, and they'll even put a payment plan in place, most likely. - Doctors are the most wonderful, they went into their careers to make people well, not to cause further harm, so a doctor's office will work with you very, very, hard, to make things happen for you. - [Travis] As opposed to other people in healthcare-- (all laughing) - [Travis] Is that what you're saying? - There are others, there are others. - What I love is you are changing the game. - [Judy] Yeah. - And even in this conversation, what I've learned is, if a hospital is willing to sell a $1 debt for two cents, if you get them before they sell that for two cents, you might be able to get your slate cleared for five cents, on the dollar. Right? - [Judy] Right. - [Travis] There is a negotiating power there. - It depends on your situation, like, I tell people, you should take your gross income, and take two or three percent of that gross income. That is all you should pay all year long for out-of-pocket medical expenses, or the debt that you owe. And that's it! - [Jerry] Ideally, yes. - Now they might keep coming after you, but you gotta tell them, I can't pay. I don't have any assets. 15 million people just used all of their assets, and they have no more assets, so what are they gonna do? They gotta talk to the doctor, talk to the hospital, and say, or the collector, say, "This is what I can pay." "I have five debts. "I'm gonna pay you equally, "and I'm only," you got $50,000, you're talking about $80, or something. - What we're learning here is that collectors want something. - [Judy] Right. - And if you work with them and talk with them there's a chance you can get your credit score and all of that fixed, by talking and paying much lower than you owe, but when you don't, if you're unable to communicate, the bills start coming in, that's when you run into trouble.