What happens if you ignore medical bills?

Angelica Leicht, editora senior de CBSNews.com sobre “Managing Your Money”, explains what typically happens when medical bills aren’t paid. After an emergency-room visit, surgery, or routine procedure, patients may receive charges that are difficult to budget for amid high living costs and elevated credit card and borrowing rates. While households might postpone payment because missing a medical bill usually doesn’t trigger immediate losses like a home or car, ignoring it doesn’t make the debt disappear—it can escalate. The article says providers often send multiple reminders and notices first, giving time to dispute errors, seek financial assistance, negotiate balances, or enroll in interest-free payment plans. If unpaid long enough, accounts may be sent or sold to collections.