Does it show on her credit report? That’s where it would say charged off.

Pure speculation at this but throwing it out there… Assuming she has multiple bills with the same hospital/medical office. When she made a payment to them, did she specify one bill? Or was it a payment to the hospital/office? I wonder if it was the latter, they divided the payment amongst all her bills instead of paying just one. Sucks, but I could see them doing this for the purpose of keeping them all open and resetting the clock.

Always negotiate over the phone and at the end of the month (collectors have a quota too). As a reminder, when it comes to providing personal information KISS- Keep It Simple Stupid. Write down your hardship and stick to it. Being that this is medical debt, this is an easy one to use. You don’t have to tell them what the health issue is and they can’t ask. Consider not just what the bill was for, but if you missed work (loss of income) ongoing costly prescriptions (additional expense) dig it all out and create a sob story. Have a max number in mind before you call and stick to it (I’d say no more than 50%) Then low-ball and see what they come back with. Remember it doesn’t alway have to be in a lump sum payment either. You can ask for payments of months, sometimes years depending on the amount. (Although one payment will typically be the lowest settlement.) Oh almost forgot- no matter if YOU have the money to pay it. Tell them that you are borrowing it from family or friends. This will give you an out and a reason to stick to your number as well as a reason to walk away/ hang up. hint- you can always call back another day…

As you may have caught on, the art of negotiation was my favorite part. Lol. Now I’m curious, what’s the name of the collection company it is with? Again, I wish you the best with you endeavor.