I can't believe you kept it together on the phone. I'm usually screaming at them, throwing around the "F" word and/or crying hysterically. Often, both. Usually, they hang up on me; it never resolves the issue, but the people are just rude and unfeeling, like the same cogs in a machine. I sometimes just have to let H handle the calling. Do you have a friend or family member who could call for you while you listen in, even the PA? Don't know if it will help.

I got billed several thousand dollars for a bad IP experience when I had no insurance and was barely surviving as I was a graduate student. I don't think we made more than minimum wage. They let me check myself in but not out even when I was clearly not a danger to myself or others, they were even adding me to their cargo to tow to nearby AA meetings, which was a joke. I hardly drink. I've probably had 5 glasses of wine my whole life, and 3 of those were one glass each night with our host during Hurricane Ike. The other two, just randomly offered by a dinner host. Oh, and a bit of champagne my graduate professor bought when my paper was accepted for publication and those of us around the lab who didn't have religious objections to drinking had a glass; many of the Hindis in my lab did not drink. So I hardly had a problem with alcohol and never used drugs, but they'd drag me along to AA meetings (a situation clearly off hospital grounds) and still wouldn't let me out of there.

They kept calling and sending collectors, I just ignored them. Finally, I threatened to sue them because even the social worker there was getting confounded by their behavior. I believe she was new, but not stupid and told them she'd back me up on everything, and then and only then 2 or 3 years down the road, did they leave me alone. Thank God for one good social worker.

I swear. What a nightmare.