Hey Christie,
That’s great news. If you can pay your settlement go for it, It’s definitely worth it. If you feel it’s a bit too much you could try to negotiate the amount with them again . You can let them know that that’s the best you can do and see what they say. Keep in mind that collection agencies usually pay just a few cents per each dollar you owe to buy your account and then try to collect from you. I’m not sure if it works the same for medical collections, but I know this is the case for credit card collections.
As far as the other collection agency, I would just send them a letter again. Send a letter until you get a response. Sometimes it takes a while until you get a response, just be patient. It will pay off eventually. If all fails, you can wait until the collection is sold to a different agency and then try to negotiate with them. But from experience I’ve seen that most collection agencies are willing to negotiate, but sometimes it takes longer than you think.
Keep us posted!