drowning in medical bill debt

Hi!
Welcome to the forums!
First of all, read through your bill and check whether or not the amount is correct. If there is any error, then report it to the billing department. Next, contact the billing department of the hospital and tell them that you can't afford to pay the total bill amount. Request them to withdraw the account from the collections and work out an alternative payment plan with them. Negotiate with the billing department to reduce the outstanding balance. It will be better if you can settle your debts on your own. Otherwise you can also get help of a professional debt settlement company. If the hospital authority rejects your plea, then negotiate with the collection agency to settle your debts. Don't ignore their phone calls. Talk to them or otherwise they may even sue you.

You can contact the municipal social service department of both Oregon and Washington and find out whether or not you can qualify for a government sponsored medical debt help programs. You can even contact some charity organizations. They may be able to help you out. You can also take out a consolidation loan to consolidate your medical debt. This will help you lower your monthly payment.