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Why is Americollect Calling Me? How to Settle Debt

George Simons | January 24, 2025

Fact-checked by Patrick Austin, J.D.

Patrick Austin
Attorney from George Mason
Patrick Austin, JD

Patrick Austin is a licensed attorney with a background in data privacy and information security law. Patrick received his law degree at George Mason University's Antonin Scalia Law School, where he served as the Editor-in-Chief for the National Security Law Journal.

George Simons
Co-Founder of SoloSuit
George Simons, JD/MBA

George Simons is the co-founder and CEO of SoloSuit. He has helped Americans protect over $1 billion from predatory debt lawsuits. George graduated from BYU Law school in 2020 with a JD-MBA. In his spare time, George likes to cook, because he likes to eat.

Edited by Hannah Locklear

Hannah Locklear
Editor at SoloSuit
Hannah Locklear, BA

Hannah Locklear is SoloSuit’s Marketing and Impact Manager. With an educational background in Linguistics, Spanish, and International Development from Brigham Young University, Hannah has also worked as a legal support specialist for several years.

Summary: No one needs the stress of a medical debt lawsuit on top of health complications. Here's Solo’s guide on how to take a stand against Americollect and resolve your debt issue.

Even though Americollect claims to be ridiculously nice, respectful, and treats debtors with dignity, there's nothing good about medical debts. Unpaid medical bills can accumulate into thousands of dollars within a short period. No one needs the stress of medical debt added to the worry of a hospital visit.

At least medical debts take longer than other debts to appear on a credit report, but that doesn't mean that debtors can get away with delinquencies.

If you have an unpaid medical bill, the chances are that your healthcare provider will sell your debt to a collection agency like Americollect. The agency can sue you after several failed collection attempts. If they win the case or obtain a default judgment, you may have to deal with a wage garnishment order that directs a portion of your earnings towards clearing the debt.

The good news is that you can challenge Americollect in court and have a fair chance of winning the case. Here's how to defend yourself in court against Americollect.

Settle debt with Americollect

You can negotiate debt settlement at any stage of the collections process. SoloSettle makes it easy.

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Who Is Americollect?

Americollect is a legitimate debt collection agency specializing in collecting delinquent healthcare bills. Based in Wisconsin, the agency was founded in 1964.

Who does Americollect collect for?

Americollect collects for 120 healthcare providers and 7,000 physicians.. The agency employs a more lenient strategy to recover healthcare debts. Since most of their debtors already have stressful medical issues, Americollect empathizes with consumers and complies with medical collections rules and regulations.

This agency divides its collection services into two categories.

  1. Early out services for collecting the most recent debts.
  2. Bad debt collection for old debts.

Read Americollect reviews online

If you are curious to know what people have said about their interactions with Americollect on different debt collection matters, then take a moment to read these reviews:

While not all Americollect reviews are positive, there are many reviews that indicate consumers can have a pleasant experience communicating with Americollect collectors to resolve debt. Clear and honest communication will improve your chances of resolving a debt with Americollect, often for less than the original amount.

Let’s consider a real example of Americollect reviews from a borrower named J.N.:

“The Americollect representatives have always been kind, patient, and helpful during my interactions. This is a rarity in this industry and it very refreshing. Any issue I have about why I have to work with them is absolutely unrelated to their work. They have helped make the most of a bad situation more manageable.”

This review shows that Americollect debt collectors are open to working with you to resolve your concerns and get your debt paid in a manner that works for you and your current financial situation. Communication is the key.

If calling a debt collector to negotiate doesn’t sound like your idea of fun, try using SoloSettle to negotiate online and resolve your debt through the digital settlement platform.

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What to do after Americollect contacts you

Americollect only contacts you after your health provider hands over the unpaid debt to the agency. Ideally, that may happen anywhere after about 30 days from the day you miss a payment on your medical bill installments. However, it will take 180 days before debt appears on your credit report.

Like any other medical debt collection agency, Americollect must comply with the rules and regulations under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) when contacting you. For example, they can't call you during odd hours or use profane language and threats in an attempt to recover the debt.

Besides making phone calls, Americollect utilizes communication methods such as emails, text messages, live chats, and voice messages to request payment from you. They may also negotiate a repayment plan with you. However, if unsuccessful, they may send you a final notice of the debt followed by a court summons.

It is never a good idea to ignore a debt collection summons because the court will automatically pass a default judgment favoring the debt collector when that happens. Instead, begin to plan your defense strategy to improve your chances of winning the case.

Here's what you can do.

Validate and verify the debt

Ideally, Americollect should validate the debt within five days of reaching out to you. If they do not verify the debt, you can send them a Debt Validation Letter which requires them to validate the debt before taking further action. As verification of the debt, Americollect should provide you with the following details:

  • the amount of debt;
  • the name of the original creditor (the health provider or physician);
  • a statement that if you write to dispute the debt or request more information within 30 days, Americollect will verify the debt by mail, and;
  • a statement that Americollect will provide more information about the original creditor if you request it within 30 days.

SoloSuit makes it easy to draft a Debt Validation Letter in just minutes.

After obtaining this information, the next step is to verify that you owe the debt. Americollect can also make erroneous entries like any other collection company. For example, they may have recorded an incorrect amount for the debt you allegedly owe. If you find such errors, you can file a dispute with them.

Dispute the Debt

Disputing the debt can delay the court summons by a couple of days. If you file a dispute, Americollect must verify the debt through the mail and stop all other collection activities until they validate the debt. That gives you more time to plan your next move.

Filing a dispute involves writing a letter to Americollect highlighting the errors you found and sending it through a certified mail service. Americollect must respond to the dispute within 30 days. Be sure to keep track of all communications between you and Americollect in writing. That way, if they take the matter to court, you will have sufficient evidence to build your case.

Confirm if medical insurance cleared the bill

It is also possible that your medical insurance provider cleared the bill if you filed a claim. However, the creditor and the collection agency may not be aware of updates about the debt. Therefore, you may need to figure out if the insurance company paid the medical bill you supposedly owe.

The easiest way to confirm the correct balances is by calling the insurance company to ask if they covered your medical bill. Next, call the hospital or physician to whom you owe the debt to establish whether they have the updated information.

If there's an error in the balances, request your doctor and the insurance provider to clear the differences. In the meantime, you have more reasons to dispute the debt and request Americollect for validation.

Negotiate with Americollec to settle your medical debt for less

Most debt collectors and creditors are open to negotiating a settlement amount or a repayment plan with debtors instead of going through a long and hectic court process, especially if it's a medical debt in question.

Here are three steps you can take to try and settle your debt with Americollect:

Step 1: Determine how much you can actually pay

Before starting debt settlement negotiations, make sure to calculate how much you can actually afford to pay in a lump sum. Your calculation should take into consideration your other living expenses. If you don’t have sufficient funds to make a lump sum payment, try to calculate what you could pay in installments.

Step 2: Reach out to the debt collector to engage in debt settlement negotiations

Once you’ve calculated how much you can reasonably repay, the next step is to try and negotiate a settlement. Start by offering a lower percentage of the total amount owed, typically 30% to 50% of the original amount, and be prepared to negotiate upward. If possible, offer a lump sum payment as creditors are more likely to accept a lower amount if they receive an immediate payment.

Step 3: Get the debt settlement agreement in writing

Before making a payment toward the debt, ensure you receive a written agreement outlining the terms of the settlement. This is known as a debt settlement agreement. The agreement should clearly state that the payment will settle the debt in full and that they will not pursue any further legal action or collections.

If you decide to engage in debt settlement negotiations with Americollect, consider using smart tools to help you with the debt settlement negotiation process, like SoloSettle, which is a software that sends and receives settlement offers for you until you come to an agreement with the collector or creditor. Innovative tools such as SoloSettle can make it much easier to fly solo in the credit card debt settlement process, which can help you both save money and resolve your debts more efficiently than litigation.

To learn more about these steps, watch our video guide below:

Sued by Americollect? Answer the court summons

You'll need to respond to the court summons on time to avoid a default judgment against you. Even if you owe the debt, you can challenge the plaintiff by citing affirmative defenses to increase your chances of winning the case.

Here are examples of the affirmative defenses you can raise in your Answer to a medical debt collection suit.

  • Improper Service: The plaintiff didn't serve you as required by law.
  • Lack of Notice: You didn't receive a notice that you owe the debt.
  • Statute of Limitation: In most states, the statute of limitations on medical debts is six years since the day of a defaulted payment. If the debt is older than six years, the collector can't sue you.
  • Bankruptcy: If you filed for bankruptcy and got all debts dismissed, you no longer owe the balances.

Drafting an Answer can be overwhelming and time-consuming, but Solo has got you covered. Generate a response to a debt lawsuit in minutes with Solo’s innovative web-app service.

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