My boyfriend recently received a notice in the mail from a collections agency stating that he owed money for a hospital visit back in 2003. This is the first he has ever heard of this, and never recalls receiving a bill directly from the hospital. If he would have, he would have paid it as it is not a significant amount of money. At the time of his visit in 2003 he was a student and under his parent's insurance, and 23 years old. I'm assuming that this balance was whatever the insurance wouldn't pay, but I would imagine a notice was sent to his parents in all these years that have now passed. Now whether or not they didn't get the notice, ignored it, etc. is my boyfriend required to pay this bill, even though he was not the main insurance holder? We're concerned because we received this letter nearly 7 years after his stay at the hospital, and now are beginning to get calls. It just seems strange that they are just now contacting him. And of course we are concerned of any damage this could do to his credit. Any advice is appreciated.
Has he pulled his credit reports to see if the collection is showing up under his name? If he was on his parents' insurance and they signed for the bill on his behalf, my understanding is that it would have been the parents' responsibility to make sure the payment was taken care of. However, if they didn't sign any type of independent agreement, then I believe he would be responsible regardless of who was the the main insurance holder.
