From 93-96 I had several major surgeries. The total bills were over $500,000. The insurance paid alot of it, but as everybody knows we had to pay alot also. Anyway I'm disabled now so I draw disability. We could not pay the bills fast enough to suit everyone so a couple of hospitals filed suit, and shortly there after garnished my wifes wages, we thought about BK but decided that was the wrong thing to do in the long run. Now that the bills are all paid, my question is this, all but one of the hospitals show on my credit report only. One hospital and a couple of DR. show up on my wifes report also. Since reports are kept separately on each individual, should these show on her report when they were strictly my medical bills. Yes we were married at the time, but these bills are not like buying a car or home where both parties sign a joint contract. Like I said all the major ones are on my report only, just the three show on both reports. Those are the only bad ones on her report is there something I can do to get them off. All help is appreciated! And I thank you in advance for your help BOB
First of all I would like to see your letter published in every newspaper in the country. We are now the ONLY first-world country that does not provide national healthcare as a basic right. Even Cuba and China take care of their citizens. No person should suffer economic harm because they have been sick or injured. Having said that, generally speaking medical bills do not weigh very heavy when a lender is considering to make you a loan. I had numerous medical collections completely removed from my mother's report by dealing directly with the doctors and the hospital. This means speaking to the actual doctor and the Chief of Staff of the hospital if need be. Regardless, these collections should not hurt you. If they do threaten to call the local reporter who handles consumer stories.
I unfortunately have to disagree with you. The ONLY things listed on all 3 reports are outstanding ER bills and ambulance bills, and one closed, but positive, joint account I had 6 years ago with PC Richards, this account had a 3700.00 limit and was reported as "paid/never late" on all 3 reports. The only thing has kept me from getting credit cards and a car loan is the medical bills on my record. - All of this from having a horrible bout with cancer that thankfully is under control. - you'd think that was punishment enough!
Kathie I wish my letter could be published in all the papers. Jenn I understand what your saying, mine is diabetes, I have brittle diabetes. I've had all my pancreas removed, 1/3 of my stomach, my gall bladder, apendixs, spline, and have severe polyneuropothy in both legs, over a three year period I had 5 surgeries. Like you said I would think that's punishment enough. We could have declared BK but didn't, Sometimes I wish we had, dealing with some of these collectors was a nightmare, I wished we would have had a computer back then and access to this board for some guidence on how to deal with them. But I really think it's terrible that my wifes credit has to suffer because of my illness. I think I'll call the hospitals like Kathie suggested. Thanks to you both for your advice. BOB
Kathie wrote: ------------------------------- We are now the ONLY first-world country that does not provide national healthcare as a basic right. <<<<<<<<< Yes, we also happen to be the ONLY first world country to have a reasonably growing economy, since we allow our citizens to keep a greater proportion of the fruit of their labor. Shocking! Even Cuba and China take care of their citizens. <<<<<<<<<<< Puhleese. They "take care of" their citizens? Spoken bravely, and utterly without regard for reality. We really must begin building walls around America to keep everyone from leaving for Cuba and China. Will the last one to leave America please turn out the lights? Only silly western left wingers praise Cuba and China, their own citizens are voting their preference with their feet. No person should suffer economic harm because they have been sick or injured.... <<<<<<<<<<< Funny, I thought modern medicine was a blessing. Imagine you had inoperable cancer. One day an angel appears and offers you the chance to live a normal lifespan. Pretty much like modern medicine wouldn't you say? The cost is $10,000 a year for the rest of your life. You would live to see your grandchildren, and even after paying the $833 a month many people could live a rich, full life. I would say, "take it, it is a bargain." Others, it would seem, only consider it a bargain if they can compel their neighbors to pay the $10,000 per year. They want to have their health and everyone else's wealth, too. They want, they want, they want! What a greedy attitude. I have never understood why someone who required vast medical resources in order to save or improve his/her life should think they have gotten a bad bargain. A very tough hand to be dealt, yes. But for a bad bargain one must look to the graveyard. No bargain is a bad bargain! Those folks, I bet, would regard the Angel's offer as a blessing. BTW Bob, please do not consider my remarks as being slyly or otherwise directed at you in any way, shape or fashion.
No problem Michael, what i meant by my post was, since everyones C.R. is individually should medical bills only be reported on that persons C.R. All but a couple of mine are. It's ashame my wifes credit should suffer because of my illness. I know that credit cards only report to that individuals C.R. And any Joint purchases show on both. And since the medical bills are mine, is it right that some of them show on her report, even though her name is not on the bills in any way.
Have you demanded of the OC that they provide evidence that the debt is hers? Did she sign some papers for you for instance?
She signed no papers at all!! So should she dispute the items with the CRA's or is there another direction she should take?
Why don't you dispute the items with the CRAs, if they are verified then you will get the contact info for the original creditor. Require them(the OC) to show why she is responsible for those bills.
Michael, I would prefer to respond to your remarks personally, but it doesn't seem that I can. Your remarks are the product of very good marketing and being a dutiful American consumer. Most Americans do not travel outside this country, nor do they have the opportunity of being exposed to other cultures. We have been very insular and that has led to the highest medical costs in the world. My own mother drives over the border to Canada to get her prescritpion of Claritin filled -- pennies on the dollar of what it costs here. The rest of the world does not consider good health a commodity, our culture seems to to put a price tag on everything. If you can't buy you don't deserve it. I can only hope that you do not ever find yourself underinsured or uninsured as millions of Americans now do. It is horrifying.
Kathie wrote: ------------------------------- " Most Americans do not travel outside this country, nor do they have the opportunity of being exposed to other cultures." ---------- But then, most foreigners do not travel outside their country either, nor do they have the opportunity of being exposed to our culture. So? ---------- "We have been very insular and that has led to the highest medical costs in the world." ----------- You believe we have the highest medical costs in the world because we are "very insular"? Please explain how insularity drives up the cost of health care. And, since most foreigners are also "insular", please explain why insularity does not drive up their health care costs to the highest in the world also. ------------- " My own mother drives over the border to Canada to get her prescritpion of Claritin filled -- pennies on the dollar of what it costs here. " ---------------- Let us ignore the fact that the experience of one person with one drug may not accurately reflect the experiences of 260 million people over a whole range of health care issues; the reason that your mother gets her Claritin cheaper in Canada is because in Canada Claritin is an Over-The-Counter drug, no scrip required, no pharmacist-and therefore cheaper. You will be happy to know that in America too OTC drugs are cheaper than prescription drugs, just like Canada! She could probably get it even cheaper in Mexico, but don't expect either the Mexican or the Canadian pharmacuetical industry to shower the world with new miracle drugs, a research effort that is a blessing to and the envy of the entire world. ------------------------ "The rest of the world does not consider good health a commodity,....." ------------------------ They consider it a blessing, which was the point of my post. You apparently consider it an opportunity to pilfer your neighbor. --------------------- "... our culture seems to to put a price tag on everything." ------------------------- I take it you are arguing that health care should not have a price tag, that it should be "free". I must have missed something here. Does health care grow on trees? If not then there is a cost to produce it. If it is truly provided for free, then the people who provide health care will have to work for free. Do you work for free? I do not believe you really have a problem with putting a price tag on health care, you simply want to make someone else pay for yours. ---------------------------- "If you can't buy you don't deserve it." ---------------------------- But since you do "deserve" it you can make your neighbors buy it for you, right? This sorta makes you a little more equal than your neighbors doesn't it? ----------------------------- "I can only hope that you do not ever find yourself underinsured or uninsured as millions of Americans now do. It is horrifying." ----------------------------- If you really care about these people then you can help them by supporting the creation of Medical Savings Accounts. MSAs will allow people to control their own money, and therefore call their own shots in healthcare. They put the consumer of healthcare in charge. But that doesn't leave much for the government to do, and so the left wingnuts have blocked passage of the legislation that would give tens of millions of Americans the opportunity to start MSAs. Nationalizing health care is a great deal for government, but MSAs make consumers the boss. But I'm kinda guessing that you're really a little more concerned with empowering government than you are with empowering health care consumers. --------------- "Michael,..... Your remarks are the product of very good marketing and being a dutiful American consumer..." ---------- I thought my remarks were the product of a value system which frowns upon ripping off one's neighbor. ----------
@!#$, I'm sorry I even ask the question. Michael and Kathie the question was about medical bills and CRA's. I didn't think it would escalate into a battle over world health care practices. I apologize to you both for starting this war. Please forgive me!! BOB
Bob, you are not responsible for muddle headed marxism. I confront marxists because bad and evil ideas should be confronted and exposed, since they impoverish and debase the species.
Michael, add up what you pay in taxes i.e., state, local, federal, county, real estate, medicare, and social security. It is substancially higher than what most Eurpopeans and Canadians pay. The rub is that for their taxes they get health care, good public education, retirement, and housing for the aged. What we get is ripped off. If that is your idea of an equitable market economy then we truly are speaking in different languages. And just for the record, I live in upstate New York and there are weekly bus loads of senior citizens who go over the border to buy their "prescription drugs". If Claritin can be purchased over the counter there, why not here? Because with a prescription it costs over $2.00 a pill. I sympathize with your need to be right here, but your argument doesn't stand up.
Bob, I apologize for making "your" problem secondary to an argument that has no place here. I feel very passionate about people who suffer economically from medical bills. Your story is becoming very common and could happen to any one us. Wanting equitable health care does not make one a Markist, if that were the case we would be alone in the world with no allies. I had very good luck getting my mom's medical bills removed completely from her report just by dealing directly with the doctors/hospital. They called the collection companies and told them to remove their information as well as send letters to the three bureaus. Best of luck to you, and I hope your health continues to improve.
Marxism is a philosophy that involves considerably more than national health care. If you have an expertise in this area I'd love to debate with you in another arena. You may use my email address: kathie2syr@prodigy.net.
Kathie wrote: ------------------------------- "Michael, add up what you pay in taxes i.e., state, local, federal, county, real estate, medicare, and social security. It is substancially higher than what most Eurpopeans and Canadians pay." ---------------------------------- I have always been fascinated by that particular bit of left wing sophistry. In this country we allow the public sector to confiscate around 1/3 of our national income. The Europeans in general, and Canadians allow their governments to confiscate 1/2, more or less. We let the statists take away substantially less of our property than most other first world nations. No thanks to the lefties who make the argument that we are getting "ripped off" at our present tax rate, and whose solution is to raise that rate. Incredible! --------------------------------- "The rub is that for their taxes they get health care, good public education, retirement, and housing for the aged." ---------------------------------------- Oh, such a "good deal" folks get in Europe and Canada get! They let their bureaucrats take so much of their income that they don't have enough left to grow their economies, they have scarcely created a new job in 20 years. The young are growing restless becuase they percieve that no growth means no opportunity. They are spending their children's inheritance to live high on the hog today. Yeah, it's a "good deal" if you already have a good spot at the hog trough. Or were you referring to the "good deal" folks get in the workers paradises of Cuba and China? Where millions are desperate to escape Marxist despotism? Silly people! Is that ungrateful or what? --------------------------------------- "What we get is ripped off." --------------------------------------- What the Europeans get is the next generation ripped off. -------------------------------- "If that is your idea of an equitable market economy then we truly are speaking in different languages." ----------------------------------- Do you think a market economy is about equality? ------------------------------------ "And just for the record, I live in upstate New York and there are weekly bus loads of senior citizens who go over the border to buy their "prescription drugs". If Claritin can be purchased over the counter there, why not here?" -------------------------------- Because Canada is a different country. They make their own rules. If we get to keep 2/3 of our income here, why not there? You make no other argument in your post as to what are the advantages of a socialized system. This is now your only argument for socializing our health care industry, because somewhere, someone is getting some drug cheaper than you can under FDA regulation. Marxism always comes down to envy. ----------------------------------- "I sympathize with your need to be right here, but your argument doesn't stand up." ---------------------------------------- I sympathize with your need to get in the last word here, but you are hardly in a position to assert that my argument doesn't stand up, since you have decided not to address most of it. -------------------------------- "Wanting equitable health care does not make one a Markist," ------------------------------ If wanting socialized medicine does not make one a socialist, please explain what does. ---------------------------------- "Bob, I apologize for making "your" problem secondary to an argument that has no place here." -------------------------------- I agree. Why did you choose this forum to advocate for socialized medicine?
ok ENOUGH IS ENOUGH, MICHAEL GO TO YOUR CORNER AND TIGHTEN YOUR JOKE STRAP, KATHIE GO TO YOUR CORNER AND TIGHTEN YOUR BRA STRAP, WHEN THE BELL RINGS GO TO THE MIDDLE OF THE RING AND LET THE LIPS FLY. THE FIRST ONE TO TAKE A BREATH LOSES. YOU MIGHT WANT TO PRACTICE SHOUTING INTO A PILLOW TO WARM UP. THE WINNER GETS AN ALL EXPENSE PAID TRIP TO BFE. THE LOSER GETS A DAY OF PEACE AND QUIET WHILE THE WINNER IS IN BFE, PERSONALLY I'LL TAKE THE PEACE AND QUIET. GOOD LUCK TO YOU BOTH AND MAY THE BIGGEST MOUTH WIN.
BOB wrote: ------------------------------- ....GOOD LUCK TO YOU BOTH AND MAY THE BIGGEST MOUTH WIN. ----------- Sounds like a contest made for Monica Lewinsky, Bob. I better bow out!
