Bill Collectors From India?

You know things have gotten sad in America, when you get late on a small medical bill, no office calls or writes you, and right away, they have a collection agency call you.....


FROM INDIA.

I suspect this is for blood tests for The Reckoner where even the "free clinic" for the destitute unloaded a $300 dollar lab charge for blood tests. The Reckoner at the time said, "Please no huge lab bills, we can't handle it!" Who determines these prices? The Squawker sent a few 10 and 20 dollar payments to no avail. One thing, we have no problem paying the debt off, if we could. This being a smaller medical bill, the original company probably will get 10 bucks from me this month. It may take time, but it's the best I can do and afford groceries. Never pay to collection agencies where the money could disappear in a vat of red tape. 


In this household unless we are dying or we are on the cusp of respiratory or cardiac failure or have skin falling off from a third degree burn or a leg about to rot off, we don't go to the ER. Why? The horrendous bills. Even if one is on Medicare, you still have to pay 20% off the top. So gout attacks, projectile vomiting for hours, we stay home, knowing the hassles that lay in the future, should we go in. The cash register in your local ER can go caching! for a thousand bucks as soon as you walk in the door. Each spouse has begged the other to go to the hospital while one shakes their head 'no, no no'.

So the heavily accented person calls, and wants to demand money....[I googled the number and it is a company that does medical collections]

When they call I love to have a conversation with them....

It goes something like this...[fortunately these ones know enough English to converse]

"Are you from India?"


[yes]


"Do you realize that America is in a depression and that none of us have jobs anymore to pay these bills?"


[cough ummmm]


"They gave all our jobs to you guys, think about the absurdity that while we are left without even the option to get a low-paid bill collector's job, they hassle us over bills that remain unpaid"




and


"They are not telling the world the truth about how poor people are getting here" 


[a couple have sounded shocked at that one]



Then usually I sashay into socio-political economics. Hey why not?, they called me at 9:00 am on  a Saturday morning and have been harrassing us daily.

"You do realize your country isn't going to be able to depend on the failing American system forever, don't you?"


"You should plan accordingly."


"Please, don't call here anymore!"


[click]





In 2009, they said bill collection centers in India were booming. 


U.S. Debt Collectors Watch Jobs Go To India--The Squawker