We have a great settlement offer for you.... Give us your payment now over the phone, and we will close this matter now.... but they refuse to put it in writing.... It sounds like they are just waiting to get some account number so they can charge me off in the fastest way they can think of, this way it gets me off the books, otherwise if the settlement offer is legit, then why not just put the settlement offer in writing? We are getting closer to end of year, sounds like they are getting desperate to clear their books.... so they come up with some fishy settlement offer so they can get your account info. sorta reminds me of a time when I got my car a few years back... when I wrote two checks, and one of them was post dated, and the dealership agreed not to deposit the check until x amount of time... wrong! they dropped both checks causing me to overdraft, ever since I have never written a post check or accept anything if it is not in writing. After co-pay, my part was $5k - and ever since they demand that I pay them off immediately, as if I have $5k laying about, and I do not have other bills to pay? not only life bills, but other medical bills that come right along with the hospital bill....they really need to bow down before god and ask for forgiveness, and thank me for the payments that I have been able to make...most other people probably would just have wrote them off long ago.... I am not rich, but I try to be fair to all my bills....
It is not a legal settlement if they refuse to put it on paper. "Settlement" is just a word they're making up- don't play into it!
I doubt it is a scam and they can not legally charge things to your account that you do not approve that could get the entire hospital sued. But the fact they will not put it in writing could mean the person has either told you a deal without consulting with upper management(what they do sometimes is put a deal together get it paid and then bring it to management and say I got this amount of payment we need to close the case) or they are just trying to get you to agree to a payment. Either way is a bit messed up seeing as how they just want there money with no regards to how they get it. But often times if you are for SURE they are working for the hospital then they can't legally do that or you can have a huge lawsuit against them
oh well, it looks like the IRS wants a piece of my ass too... (see Irs scam post) If the IRS is able to pull of their tax scam on me, then the hospital just hit the bottom of the list as they may not get any more payments for awhile.... The hosp got about 20k from my insurance, so I am not crying for them....
you need to get to www.creditboards.com and do some reading there. You will find people like you, previously in your situation, etc and get this all sorted out. I the meantime, don't send a dime!