I was hospitalized back in feb. 2002. I am single and have a very low income. I have since been recieving debt collection notices for the bills thta I incurred. I was supposed to qualify for financial aid from the hospital, but I guess it only covered the hospital stay. It is a non-profit hospital, so I have like 7 bills. One from each dept, ER, Radiology, Blood work, etc... I cannot pay these and have called to let them know. My question is does medical bills that have been put into collection afftect your credit report? I have heard many different answers. Some people have told me that usually apartment buildings etc.. will not hold unpaid medical bills against me. Others have told me that it affects my credit as any other debt will. I have other credit bills fromcards, but not in collection. I am paying those off.
MEDICAL is usually NOT held against you like a credit card or loan would be...BUT YOU STILL HAVE IT ON YOUR CREDIT REPORT and it kills your F.I.C.O. (unless they don't report it)...
I don't know if they are my report yet, but collectors have advised me that it will be on my report if i don't pay them. I have not gotten a copy of my credit report, because you either have to pay for it or sign up for some stupid free trial service.
Hi there, Welcome to CreditNet! I noticed that you mentioned that you make a "very low income". This is an advantage when using www.transunion.com Assuming that you are on ANY public assistance you can get a report for free. Just select that option. It does not cost anything.
Have you spoken to the doctors office and told them about your situation and that you are working on it and you still need some time? Did the doctor bill you and you ignored the bills or didnt call them about the bills when you got em which was the reason it went to the debt collectors? I don't know but maybe you can work something out with the doctor/hospital?
I basically ignored them. I called one of them today and told them my situation and she did not bring up anything about working it out. She just advised me that it will go against my credit report if I don't pay it. I specifically said that I could not pay it at the time, and was not offered any relief. I'm surethey would probably work out a payment plan, but I can't even afford $10 a month at this point.
I had a similar situation. First, you can negotiate a discount. Ask for insurance rates on the services they are charging you for. For example, thye may bill $150 for an x-ray, but most insurance companies only pay $50 for the x-day, so they let it go for $50. Also, most WILL work out a payment plan with you. What happened with me was my girlfriend ended up in the emergancy room. She had no insurance. We ended up with some expensive bills. First, I audited the bills. I found they had charged her for some things that were not suppossed to be there. I disputed those items and they were dropped. Second, I asked for a discount. The hospital dropped the price about 20%. Third, I negotiated a payment plan. $50 a month for two years to pay it all off. No interest, and no negitive credit history. I had to negotiate with a CA. They tried to get nasty with me, but I told them (in writing) exactly what they were going to get from me, and when, and then they were good.
