u/Strange_Assistant61

Long story short, husband was having chest pains. Went to the ER but his crappy insurance will cover 50%, so my balance is slightly under $9k. I have been making small payments but they keep trying to put me on a payment plan of $700 for 12 months. I cannot afford that. I’ve been sending them $100 a month but they said that after 6 months it will automatically go to collections unless I’m enrolled in their payment plan. She had me fill out the financial assistance application but I know our income is too high to qualify. But I did it to appease them. Can I avoid the collections in any way? If I pay the collection agency per month will it still negatively affect my credit?