Even if you were to pay nothing, there is not a whole lot they can do . . . not unless you've got assets to seize or excess income to garnish. They would have to sue you in court first to do that, and a judge is not going to be unreasonable.

In our system of law, a creditor takes a certain risk. That's true of medical creditors also. Sometimes a debtor just can pay up quickly, and that's just that. It's not against the law to get behind in your debts. Do what you reasonably can, and then don't worry.