Debt Collector looking for €100...... from a 2 year old.

Infini · 20-10-2016 12:11AM #1

http://www.newstalk.com/Debt-collection-company-seeks-100-hospital-bill-from-two-year

Will you take a rattle or toy as payment lads?

Seriously though I dunno weather to laugh at them for lookin for money from someone who hasnt even gone to school yet or slap em on the back on the head for being stupid.

Magellan Murphy · 20-10-2016 12:18AM

Can't educate stupid.

Atlantic Dawn · 20-10-2016 12:22AM

The patient is normally billed, are they not?

tomwaterford · 20-10-2016 12:41AM

I was under the impression that children up to 5 years old had a free medical card??

TallGlass · 20-10-2016 12:44AM

tomwaterford wrote: »

I was under the impression that children up to 5 years old had a free medical card??

Doesn't cover A&E entrance fee

Magellan Murphy · 20-10-2016 12:46AM

TallGlass wrote: »

Doesn't cover A&E entrance fee

Is an immigrant covered?

toptom · 20-10-2016 12:48AM

Magellan Murphy wrote: »

Is an immigrant covered?

They haven't paid tax so they better not be. We've to bloody well pay it.

Pro Hoc Vice · 20-10-2016 12:48AM

TallGlass wrote: »

Doesn't cover A&E entrance fee

http://www.hse.ie/eng/services/list/3/acutehospitals/hospitals/Hospitalcharges.html

This charge is not applicable if your are in one of the following groups:

Medical card holders

Someone should tell the HSE.

Holograph · 20-10-2016 12:50AM

"But the hospital then used a debt collection agency to ask the child to pay the €100 fee for going to the emergency department without a doctor's letter."

I like the way NewsTalk present it as if the hospital, with genuine intention, asked the two-year-old to cough up.

It was obviously an administrative error in the name (patient name rather than his parent; not a far-fetched error by someone who is really busy in an A&E department; a very unfortunate mistake but human error is a fact of life) - not personal. And not worth outrage.
"The child is only two years of age, and he hasn't got €100" - no ****, senator!

Also, saying the hospital "then used a debt collection agency" is dishonest - it looks as if they just called a debt collection agency immediately when the little kid left. A debt collection agency would be resorted to only after a prolonged period of non payment. And not sure why it is mentioned that the family are not in a position to pay it - the bill is still going to be issued, the hospital should have been advised of this earlier so that a repayment plan could have been organised, instead of the bill and subsequent reminders being ignored to the extent that a debt collection agency was brought in.

Really not great reporting there by NewsTalk.

Pro Hoc Vice · 20-10-2016 12:55AM

toptom wrote: »

They haven't paid tax so they better not be. We've to bloody well pay it.

Immigrants don't pay tax so the 3/4 of a million immigrants in Ireland don't pay any tax. I'm outraged is this something like the Apple tax scam?

Magellan Murphy · 20-10-2016 12:57AM

toptom wrote: »

They haven't paid tax so they better not be. We've to bloody well pay it.

The working person is a fool.

20-10-2016 01:13AM

toptom wrote: »

They haven't paid tax so they better not be. We've to bloody well pay it.

Immigrants don't pay tax??

mdwexford · 20-10-2016 01:22AM

Stupid headline, pretty obvious the parents should have been billed and should pay aforementioned bill.

End of story.

foggy_lad · 20-10-2016 01:33AM

Holograph wrote: »

"But the hospital then used a debt collection agency to ask the child to pay the €100 fee for going to the emergency department without a doctor's letter."

I like the way NewsTalk present it as if the hospital, with genuine intention, asked the two-year-old to cough up.

It was obviously an administrative error in the name (patient name rather than his parent; not a far-fetched error by someone who is really busy in an A&E department; a very unfortunate mistake but human error is a fact of life) - not personal. And not worth outrage.
"The child is only two years of age, and he hasn't got €100" - no ****, senator!

Also, saying the hospital "then used a debt collection agency" is dishonest - it looks as if they just called a debt collection agency immediately when the little kid left. A debt collection agency would be resorted to only after a prolonged period of non payment. And not sure why it is mentioned that the family are not in a position to pay it - the bill is still going to be issued, the hospital should have been advised of this earlier so that a repayment plan could have been organised, instead of the bill and subsequent reminders being ignored to the extent that a debt collection agency was brought in.

Really not great reporting there by NewsTalk.

Debt collections agencies are used by the HSE immediately after a reminder is sent to the client.

It is wasteful and smacks of bullyboy tactics being used on the most vulnerable of society, something that the new "boy" minister for health wouldn't know anything about.

Holograph · 20-10-2016 01:36AM

foggy_lad wrote: »

Debt collections agencies are used by the HSE immediately after a reminder is sent to the client.

It is wasteful and smacks of bullyboy tactics being used on the most vulnerable of society, something that the new "boy" minister for health wouldn't know anything about.

If you cannot afford to pay something in full (which is obviously fair enough) contact the people you have to pay and come to an arrangement, instead of ignoring the bill/reminder. Why should it even have to come to reminder stage?

The deflection of someone owing money into being simply a case of: the company they owe are just bullies, is a big problem in this country (and elsewhere).

Estrellita · 20-10-2016 01:51AM

Moronic clerical error occurs > Parents tell anyone who will listen > Hilarity / faux outrage / nonchalance ensues. It's a rag article.

rawn · 20-10-2016 01:55AM

The bang of racism from this thread!

end of the road · 20-10-2016 02:43AM

Holograph wrote: »

If you cannot afford to pay something in full (which is obviously fair enough) contact the people you have to pay and come to an arrangement, instead of ignoring the bill/reminder. Why should it even have to come to reminder stage?

because sometimes for whatever reason it does. letter goes to wrong address, doesn't arrive, for example. can happen, whether you like it or not.

Holograph · 20-10-2016 02:47AM

end of the road wrote: »

because sometimes for whatever reason it does. letter goes to wrong address, doesn't arrive, for example. can happen, whether you like it or not.

But I mean when the bill does arrive at the right address.

Winterlong · 20-10-2016 06:15AM

Estrellita wrote: »

Moronic clerical error occurs > Parents tell anyone who will listen > Hilarity / faux outrage / nonchalance ensues. It's a rag article.

It's like some people are programmed to run to the press anything anything happens to them.
And this is one of the stories that made the cut! What kind of drivel did not make the cut you would have to wonder.

Estrellita · 20-10-2016 07:52AM

Winterlong wrote: »

It's like some people are programmed to run to the press anything anything happens to them.
And this is one of the stories that made the cut! What kind of drivel did not make the cut you would have to wonder.

It's one less article about Kim Kardashians robbery, or her @rse. We must be grateful for small mercies I suppose.

AudreyHepburn · 20-10-2016 08:12AM

Surely you don't need a degree to figure this one out.....the child was the patient so naturally his/her name would be on the documentation but obviously it's the parents that will be expected to pay up as the child is only 2.

Making a mountain out of a molehill springs to mind here.

hairyslug · 20-10-2016 08:29AM

Patient gets billed, sometimes clerical errors are made. Had to deal with it myself with a dead parent who got billed from the hospital she died in 6 weeks later. However, once I explained it to them and the scenario (lack if funds) all was sorted.
If people didn't stick their heads in the sand and did try to communicate directly with the hospital this would be a lot easier.
Saying that, I have also had to deal with a solicitor acting in behalf of a collection agency as they company would not deal with me directly. Things can be made overly difficult for no real reason.

Estrellita · 20-10-2016 08:30AM

AudreyHepburn wrote: »

Surely you don't need a degree to figure this one out.....the child was the patient so naturally his/her name would be on the documentation but obviously it's the parents that will be expected to pay up as the child is only 2.

Making a mountain out of a molehill springs to mind here.

Nothing needs to be figured out. It's lazy low rank 'journalism' at its finest. You can imagine the scene... "

"Jimmy I need you to get page 9 filled out. Get out there and find me a story. I want something with a real human aspect to it. "

Boss exits

*Jimmy opens draw full of post and selects one*

"Ah yes. This s.hite will do."

Dravokivich · 20-10-2016 08:49AM

This makes no sense, in the case of minors, it's usually parents that get billed.

tomwaterford wrote: »

I was under the impression that children up to 5 years old had a free medical card??

I'd like to know where you got that impression. Unless you are thinking of the GP Card?

seamus · 20-10-2016 09:00AM

Estrellita wrote: »

Moronic clerical error occurs > Parents tell anyone who will listen > Hilarity / faux outrage / nonchalance ensues. It's a rag article.

This. NewsTalk is the radio equivalent of the Daily Mail. Just hysterical tripe from start to finish.

razorblunt · 20-10-2016 09:11AM

The wife organised an off site day for meetings with her work in a hotel here in the UK. Last week we got a notice in the door from a debt collector agency as she had parked there all day "without using the facilities" and need to pay £100 fine.

I could hear the manager squirm from this end of the phone as she was dragging him over the coals.
She'd booked a meeting room and 8 rooms for 2 nights for the 3rd time this year with them, he was throwing free rooms at her.
He made the mistake of saying "these things happen" we'll take care of it when the fine was at £60 if paid within 14 days, he didn't.

She's now gone to the area manager.

This really has a loose connection to this thread ... but free rooms y'all.

Your Face · 20-10-2016 09:28AM

Take it off his first pay-check.

jackofalltrades · 20-10-2016 10:53AM

Looks like the parents are trying to use an administrative error to embarrass the hospital into not collecting on a debt.
A senator gets free publicity helping "the vulnerable" and Newstalk gets some site visits.
If they can't pay it now, then some kind of arrangement should be made to pay it over time.
I think there's too many people in this country who don't feel like they should have to pay their bills.

Estrellita · 20-10-2016 11:17AM

jackofalltrades wrote: »

Looks like the parents are trying to use an administrative error to embarrass the hospital into not collecting on a debt.
A senator gets free publicity helping "the vulnerable" and Newstalk gets some site visits.
If they can't pay it now, then some kind of arrangement should be made to pay it over time.
I think there's too many people in this country who don't feel like they should have to pay their bills.

I thought that about them too. Embarrassing the hospital into an apology and to waive their fee for 'distress caused'. And probably think they are cute hoors for it too. Realistically, they publicised that they would scrounge at any chance, shameless.

pickarooney · 20-10-2016 11:35AM

toptom wrote: »

They haven't paid tax so they better not be. We've to bloody well pay it.

Crap. I've been paying tax as an immigrant for fifteen years. Can I claim it back?

Debt Collector looking for €100...... from a 2 year old.

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