How do I deal with a bill from a collection agency for money I have already paid to the hospital? I went to the ER (Kaiser).
Two weeks later I moved.
I had mail forwarding in place starting a few days before I moved just to be sure.
A few days after moving I went on vacation for three weeks, during which I had my mail held.
A week into my vacation I also changed my address with kaiser over the phone.
I came home and got a bill from kaiser for the ER visit (I now see that a portion of the amount said past due, but while plowing through my 3 weeks of mail unfortunately I did not. I also think a bill must have been lost somehow because I don't have a first bill, only one that says past due).
I mailed Kaiser a check immediately.
They cashed it.
Now exactly 2 months after going to the ER I just received a bill from a collection agency for the money I have already paid to Kaiser.
(Holy shit, that was fast. They couldn't call or something before sending it to collections?)
I am going to call Kaiser tomorrow when their billing department opens, but is there anything else I should be doing? Is there a way to get this fixed so it does not impact my credit? Am I supposed to pay the collections agency immediately or dispute it somehow?
Jesus christ I am so happy this happened after my mortgage went through. I have heard many other reports of hospitals sending things to collections at the drop of a hat but this still caught me completely off guard. Thanks in advance for any advice!
Two weeks later I moved.
I had mail forwarding in place starting a few days before I moved just to be sure.
A few days after moving I went on vacation for three weeks, during which I had my mail held.
A week into my vacation I also changed my address with kaiser over the phone.
I came home and got a bill from kaiser for the ER visit (I now see that a portion of the amount said past due, but while plowing through my 3 weeks of mail unfortunately I did not. I also think a bill must have been lost somehow because I don't have a first bill, only one that says past due).
I mailed Kaiser a check immediately.
They cashed it.
Now exactly 2 months after going to the ER I just received a bill from a collection agency for the money I have already paid to Kaiser.
(Holy shit, that was fast. They couldn't call or something before sending it to collections?)
I am going to call Kaiser tomorrow when their billing department opens, but is there anything else I should be doing? Is there a way to get this fixed so it does not impact my credit? Am I supposed to pay the collections agency immediately or dispute it somehow?
Jesus christ I am so happy this happened after my mortgage went through. I have heard many other reports of hospitals sending things to collections at the drop of a hat but this still caught me completely off guard. Thanks in advance for any advice!