What is a legal timeframe that a creditor can send you a bill?
Get Legal Help Today
Compare Quotes From Top Companies and Save
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
What is a legal timeframe that a creditor can send you a bill?
I had a baby almost 2 years ago. My insurance policy states that I have $500 a day deductible for a maximum of 3 days. Also, it states that the max I would pay is $3k. I called yesterday to check on my balance of my $1500 deductible. I was told that I owe $1875.10. I asked what that was for and they said for the fetal monitoring I had. They said they have been arguing with my insurer and it is amount to go to collections in a few days. Yesterday was the first I had ever heard of this bill. Is this legal?
Asked on April 26, 2012 under Bankruptcy Law, California
Answers:
SJZ, Member, New York Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 11 years ago | Contributor
Unfortunately, they most likely can do this. The "statute of limitations," or SOL, defines how long someone has to take legal action against you, which therefore defines how long they have to send you a bill. (If a bill is sent after the SOL, you can simply ignore it, since they have no way to enforce it.) In CA, the SOL for a written contract or agreement--such as the agreement pursuant to which you were provided medical services (i.e. the paperwork you signed at the hospital)--is four years; therefore, they have up to four years to try to collect from you
IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Answer(s) provided above are for general information only. The attorney providing the answer was not serving as the attorney for the person submitting the question or in any attorney-client relationship with such person. Laws may vary from state to state, and sometimes change. Tiny variations in the facts, or a fact not set forth in a question, often can change a legal outcome or an attorney's conclusion. Although AttorneyPages.com has verified the attorney was admitted to practice law in at least one jurisdiction, he or she may not be authorized to practice law in the jurisdiction referred to in the question, nor is he or she necessarily experienced in the area of the law involved. Unlike the information in the Answer(s) above, upon which you should NOT rely, for personal advice you can rely upon we suggest you retain an attorney to represent you.