Help with medical bill

well, if he indeed owes this money, he should call and try to work out an arangement. It is a legal debt

the problem is that he tried making arrangements but they want most of the money due right away and he does not have it. The question is if he does not pay this debt can a lien be put on his home or can he have a judgement filed against him? I am thinking that they could take him to court but I don't know much about medical debts. Please advice. thanks kashzan

It is a legal debt. They can do whatever necessary (legally )to collect this debt. They can file a judgement, take him to court , and then it is up to the judge. If the judge rules in their favor they can levy , or garnish if it is legal in your state. It is a pain. I woukd certainly contact them again, explian that he wants to pay, but right now, he can only make monthy payments. Something is better than nothing, and the reality is they want their money

If they take him to court the best they will get is a monthly payment set by a judge and it will take 6 months to a year to get to that point. They could go for a lien but that does not get them paid unless you sell the house. The collection agency is just trying to scare your friend into borrowing in order to pay the entire balance up front. Send a debt validation letter and make the collection agency validate everything. After that tell them they can either accept the payment your friend is proposing or they can take you to court and have a judge set the same payment. Be firm and do not back down.