37 replies to this topic

[LMorgan]

Hello! My name is Morgan and I am a new member. I really want to repair my credit so that I can qualify for a home loan within two to three years. I did some preliminary work back in 2010 and I was able to raise my scores quite a bit just by sending dispute letters and having my fiancee add me as an AU on two of his credit cards. I don't remember what my original scores were, but I know two of them were in the 400s and TU was in the low 500s. My current scores are as follows:

EQ: 575
EX: 576
TU: 628

I have three credit card accounts in good standing: Lowe's ($4,900 limit), Littman Jewelers ($2,600 limit) and a Discover Card ($3,000 limit). My student loans are currently in good standing (I was in default until late 2009, when I successfully completed a rehab program and then consolidated -- all payments have been on time and in full since then).

My biggest issue is medical debt. If I didn't have health issues, my scores would probably be a lot better. The worst part is, it seems like they bill for everything separately these days (one fee for the doctor, one fee for the ER, one fee for radiology, one fee for lab work, etc.) so just one hospital visit can result in five or six negative items on your reports.

I am not sure where to start with the medical debts. I have three that are definitely out of the statute of limitations and scheduled to fall off in 2012. Since I will not be trying to get a home loan for a couple of years, I figure I can just let these fall off my reports naturally.

I have several that are still within the statute of limitations, so my initial plan was to offer to pay for delete on those. I wanted to get some feedback before I set out to do that, though. The "good" news in all of this is that all of the medical debts "only" add up to about $6,000. I know it could be much worse. Additionally, a lot of the negative items are for small charges, like $89 and $94 -- if I do make pay for delete arrangements, I can start out with the small sums and then make arrangements to pay the bigger ones (most are under $300, but I have one for $2,594 -- ER visit back in 2009 and one for $606 -- radiology services).

Thanks in advance for any suggestions. I am committed to doing the work necessary to improve my credit -- and to not making the same mistakes in the future!

[muss08]

Whychat will be able to help you the most but I would start by opting out and trying to get old addresses deleted from your credit reports. Do you have hard copies of your credit reports? If not you will need those asap. My DW is in the same boat as you, unfortunately she disputed a couple online a little over a month ago so i have to wait about another month to hit it hard. Good luck to you!

[LMorgan]

Whychat will be able to help you the most but I would start by opting out and trying to get old addresses deleted from your credit reports. Do you have hard copies of your credit reports? If not you will need those asap. My DW is in the same boat as you, unfortunately she disputed a couple online a little over a month ago so i have to wait about another month to hit it hard. Good luck to you!

Thank you for the reply! I do not know what you mean by "opt out." I read it in other posts (I lurked and read a bit before posting), but don't see where it is explained. I have hard copies of all three of my reports, so I am good to go on that front. By "getting old addresses deleted," I assume you mean that I should ask for deletion of anything except my current address? How does this work? If I actually lived there, will they still take it off? I think I have a good case for getting some of them removed. One is the correct town, but the street number is wrong. One was an employer's address -- I never lived there.

[muss08]

To opt out go here https://www.optoutprescreen.com/?rf=t. By deleting old addresses (especially ones that were your current residence at the time of your medical treatments) it makes it harder to validate your collections accounts. To delete the addresses send a letter to each CRA listing your report # and the incorrect addresses and ask for them to be deleted. State that you are worried about identity theft. Include a copy of your drivers license, SS card and a current, original utility bill to verify your identity and current address. Not all will be deleted. Experian will not delete any that are attached to a TL. Just how they are. These two steps are important before moving forward. I would suggest looking up and reading about WhyChats HIPPA process. I'm sure he'll reply here soon enough.

[LMorgan]

To opt out go here https://www.optoutprescreen.com/?rf=t. By deleting old addresses (especially ones that were your current residence at the time of your medical treatments) it makes it harder to validate your collections accounts. To delete the addresses send a letter to each CRA listing your report # and the incorrect addresses and ask for them to be deleted. State that you are worried about identity theft. Include a copy of your drivers license, SS card and a current, original utility bill to verify your identity and current address. Not all will be deleted. Experian will not delete any that are attached to a TL. Just how they are. These two steps are important before moving forward. I would suggest looking up and reading about WhyChats HIPPA process. I'm sure he'll reply here soon enough.

Thanks! I will start this tomorrow. I read through the process and I am a bit confused on it. From what I understand, it looks like I have to dispute with the CRAs first, then use the process if the items come back verified?

[muss08]

Just saw your other post. While you are waiting on Why Chat and for the CRAs to delete your old addresses I would suggest getting your EOMBs (explanation of medical benefits) from your insurance company for the dates of service for each collection item, if you had insurance. Some times these collections are for billing errors. For example, one of my wife's collections was for $650 but when I got the EOMBs from our insurance company it turns out she only owes $44. It's helpful to get all your ducks in a row before starting the HIPPA process.

[LMorgan]

Just saw your other post. While you are waiting on Why Chat and for the CRAs to delete your old addresses I would suggest getting your EOMBs (explanation of medical benefits) from your insurance company for the dates of service for each collection item, if you had insurance. Some times these collections are for billing errors. For example, one of my wife's collections was for $650 but when I got the EOMBs from our insurance company it turns out she only owes $44. It's helpful to get all your ducks in a row before starting the HIPPA process.

Thanks. I didn't have any insurance at the time, which is why these went to collections. The hospital worked with me by giving me a discount and helping me apply for charity care; the collection accounts are for the physicians, emergency services providers, etc. that don't do that.

[Why Chat]

Hello! My name is Morgan and I am a new member. I really want to repair my credit so that I can qualify for a home loan within two to three years. I did some preliminary work back in 2010 and I was able to raise my scores quite a bit just by sending dispute letters and having my fiancee add me as an AU on two of his credit cards. I don't remember what my original scores were, but I know two of them were in the 400s and TU was in the low 500s. My current scores are as follows:

EQ: 575
EX: 576
TU: 628

I have three credit card accounts in good standing: Lowe's ($4,900 limit), Littman Jewelers ($2,600 limit) and a Discover Card ($3,000 limit). My student loans are currently in good standing (I was in default until late 2009, when I successfully completed a rehab program and then consolidated -- all payments have been on time and in full since then).

My biggest issue is medical debt. If I didn't have health issues, my scores would probably be a lot better. The worst part is, it seems like they bill for everything separately these days (one fee for the doctor, one fee for the ER, one fee for radiology, one fee for lab work, etc.) so just one hospital visit can result in five or six negative items on your reports.

I am not sure where to start with the medical debts. I have three that are definitely out of the statute of limitations and scheduled to fall off in 2012. Since I will not be trying to get a home loan for a couple of years, I figure I can just let these fall off my reports naturally.

I have several that are still within the statute of limitations, so my initial plan was to offer to pay for delete on those. I wanted to get some feedback before I set out to do that, though. The "good" news in all of this is that all of the medical debts "only" add up to about $6,000. I know it could be much worse. Additionally, a lot of the negative items are for small charges, like $89 and $94 -- if I do make pay for delete arrangements, I can start out with the small sums and then make arrangements to pay the bigger ones (most are under $300, but I have one for $2,594 -- ER visit back in 2009 and one for $606 -- radiology services).

Thanks in advance for any suggestions. I am committed to doing the work necessary to improve my credit -- and to not making the same mistakes in the future!

It is better to dispute these medical accounts off your reports NOW rather than waiting for them to "fall off" or doing a PFD with the reporting CA.

If you pay the CA you will, at best, get a "paid" collection on your reports, which is WORSE for your scores than an unpaid one, as it is STILL a "derogatory" but because it will have a more recent date it will HURT your scores.

Opt out
http://www.whychat.5...OPTOUTINST.HTML
Try to get old addresses deleted if you have moved since the dates of service

Send each CRA ( using a REAL report with a report ID# To order, visit annualcreditreport.com,or call 1-877-322-8228 DOUBLE CHECK for any errors or misinformation as to your name SS# addresses etc.) this:
http://www.whychat.5.../hipaadisp.html
DO NOT dispute anything other than the medical accounts, list ALL medical accounts old or new, paid or unpaid, valid or not.

Come back to THIS POST for further instructions once you have completed the above steps. Cleaning your report may be a long ( several Months) process and every one is different so do not automatically assume that advice given to any other poster is valid for you.

Since you were on assistance, and not regular insurance, try to find records of what was paid, and get your MIB report also.
http://www.mib.com/h...our_record.html
People who have received medical assistance are much more vulnerable to id theft/fraud for medical visits.

[LMorgan]

Hello! My name is Morgan and I am a new member. I really want to repair my credit so that I can qualify for a home loan within two to three years. I did some preliminary work back in 2010 and I was able to raise my scores quite a bit just by sending dispute letters and having my fiancee add me as an AU on two of his credit cards. I don't remember what my original scores were, but I know two of them were in the 400s and TU was in the low 500s. My current scores are as follows:

EQ: 575
EX: 576
TU: 628

I have three credit card accounts in good standing: Lowe's ($4,900 limit), Littman Jewelers ($2,600 limit) and a Discover Card ($3,000 limit). My student loans are currently in good standing (I was in default until late 2009, when I successfully completed a rehab program and then consolidated -- all payments have been on time and in full since then).

My biggest issue is medical debt. If I didn't have health issues, my scores would probably be a lot better. The worst part is, it seems like they bill for everything separately these days (one fee for the doctor, one fee for the ER, one fee for radiology, one fee for lab work, etc.) so just one hospital visit can result in five or six negative items on your reports.

I am not sure where to start with the medical debts. I have three that are definitely out of the statute of limitations and scheduled to fall off in 2012. Since I will not be trying to get a home loan for a couple of years, I figure I can just let these fall off my reports naturally.

I have several that are still within the statute of limitations, so my initial plan was to offer to pay for delete on those. I wanted to get some feedback before I set out to do that, though. The "good" news in all of this is that all of the medical debts "only" add up to about $6,000. I know it could be much worse. Additionally, a lot of the negative items are for small charges, like $89 and $94 -- if I do make pay for delete arrangements, I can start out with the small sums and then make arrangements to pay the bigger ones (most are under $300, but I have one for $2,594 -- ER visit back in 2009 and one for $606 -- radiology services).

Thanks in advance for any suggestions. I am committed to doing the work necessary to improve my credit -- and to not making the same mistakes in the future!

It is better to dispute these medical accounts off your reports NOW rather than waiting for them to "fall off" or doing a PFD with the reporting CA.

If you pay the CA you will, at best, get a "paid" collection on your reports, which is WORSE for your scores than an unpaid one, as it is STILL a "derogatory" but because it will have a more recent date it will HURT your scores.

Opt out
http://www.whychat.5...OPTOUTINST.HTML
Try to get old addresses deleted if you have moved since the dates of service

Send each CRA ( using a REAL report with a report ID# To order, visit annualcreditreport.com,or call 1-877-322-8228 DOUBLE CHECK for any errors or misinformation as to your name SS# addresses etc.) this:
http://www.whychat.5.../hipaadisp.html
DO NOT dispute anything other than the medical accounts, list ALL medical accounts old or new, paid or unpaid, valid or not.

Come back to THIS POST for further instructions once you have completed the above steps. Cleaning your report may be a long ( several Months) process and every one is different so do not automatically assume that advice given to any other poster is valid for you.

Since you were on assistance, and not regular insurance, try to find records of what was paid, and get your MIB report also.
http://www.mib.com/h...our_record.html
People who have received medical assistance are much more vulnerable to id theft/fraud for medical visits.

Thanks for all the info! I opted out the other day and just wrote my address dispute letter. I will wait to hear back on those before I move forward.

Just to clarify, I wasn't on assistance at the time of these service dates. I made "too much money" to qualify for medical insurance through the state, but I have too many pre-existing conditions to get insurance through a private insurer. The hospital's program is a little more lenient on income maximums, so they wiped out the hospital charges (room charges, food, etc.), but I was unable to pay the radiology service provider, laboratory charges, etc.

[Why Chat]

Hello! My name is Morgan and I am a new member. I really want to repair my credit so that I can qualify for a home loan within two to three years. I did some preliminary work back in 2010 and I was able to raise my scores quite a bit just by sending dispute letters and having my fiancee add me as an AU on two of his credit cards. I don't remember what my original scores were, but I know two of them were in the 400s and TU was in the low 500s. My current scores are as follows:

EQ: 575
EX: 576
TU: 628

I have three credit card accounts in good standing: Lowe's ($4,900 limit), Littman Jewelers ($2,600 limit) and a Discover Card ($3,000 limit). My student loans are currently in good standing (I was in default until late 2009, when I successfully completed a rehab program and then consolidated -- all payments have been on time and in full since then).

My biggest issue is medical debt. If I didn't have health issues, my scores would probably be a lot better. The worst part is, it seems like they bill for everything separately these days (one fee for the doctor, one fee for the ER, one fee for radiology, one fee for lab work, etc.) so just one hospital visit can result in five or six negative items on your reports.

I am not sure where to start with the medical debts. I have three that are definitely out of the statute of limitations and scheduled to fall off in 2012. Since I will not be trying to get a home loan for a couple of years, I figure I can just let these fall off my reports naturally.

I have several that are still within the statute of limitations, so my initial plan was to offer to pay for delete on those. I wanted to get some feedback before I set out to do that, though. The "good" news in all of this is that all of the medical debts "only" add up to about $6,000. I know it could be much worse. Additionally, a lot of the negative items are for small charges, like $89 and $94 -- if I do make pay for delete arrangements, I can start out with the small sums and then make arrangements to pay the bigger ones (most are under $300, but I have one for $2,594 -- ER visit back in 2009 and one for $606 -- radiology services).

Thanks in advance for any suggestions. I am committed to doing the work necessary to improve my credit -- and to not making the same mistakes in the future!

It is better to dispute these medical accounts off your reports NOW rather than waiting for them to "fall off" or doing a PFD with the reporting CA.

If you pay the CA you will, at best, get a "paid" collection on your reports, which is WORSE for your scores than an unpaid one, as it is STILL a "derogatory" but because it will have a more recent date it will HURT your scores.

Opt out
http://www.whychat.5...OPTOUTINST.HTML
Try to get old addresses deleted if you have moved since the dates of service

Send each CRA ( using a REAL report with a report ID# To order, visit annualcreditreport.com,or call 1-877-322-8228 DOUBLE CHECK for any errors or misinformation as to your name SS# addresses etc.) this:
http://www.whychat.5.../hipaadisp.html
DO NOT dispute anything other than the medical accounts, list ALL medical accounts old or new, paid or unpaid, valid or not.

Come back to THIS POST for further instructions once you have completed the above steps. Cleaning your report may be a long ( several Months) process and every one is different so do not automatically assume that advice given to any other poster is valid for you.

Since you were on assistance, and not regular insurance, try to find records of what was paid, and get your MIB report also.
http://www.mib.com/h...our_record.html
People who have received medical assistance are much more vulnerable to id theft/fraud for medical visits.

Thanks for all the info! I opted out the other day and just wrote my address dispute letter. I will wait to hear back on those before I move forward.

Just to clarify, I wasn't on assistance at the time of these service dates. I made "too much money" to qualify for medical insurance through the state, but I have too many pre-existing conditions to get insurance through a private insurer. The hospital's program is a little more lenient on income maximums, so they wiped out the hospital charges (room charges, food, etc.), but I was unable to pay the radiology service provider, laboratory charges, etc.

Do you have any letters that show that the hospital bill was "wiped out"??

If the rest of the accounts are from Drs and lab charges etc. and are over 4 years old ,they are past the SOL for being sued so you can safely dispute them.

PS, I just noticed another post from you, make sure you ONLY maintain ONE thread.

Edited by Why Chat, 28 March 2012 - 01:30 PM.

[LMorgan]

Hello! My name is Morgan and I am a new member. I really want to repair my credit so that I can qualify for a home loan within two to three years. I did some preliminary work back in 2010 and I was able to raise my scores quite a bit just by sending dispute letters and having my fiancee add me as an AU on two of his credit cards. I don't remember what my original scores were, but I know two of them were in the 400s and TU was in the low 500s. My current scores are as follows:

EQ: 575
EX: 576
TU: 628

I have three credit card accounts in good standing: Lowe's ($4,900 limit), Littman Jewelers ($2,600 limit) and a Discover Card ($3,000 limit). My student loans are currently in good standing (I was in default until late 2009, when I successfully completed a rehab program and then consolidated -- all payments have been on time and in full since then).

My biggest issue is medical debt. If I didn't have health issues, my scores would probably be a lot better. The worst part is, it seems like they bill for everything separately these days (one fee for the doctor, one fee for the ER, one fee for radiology, one fee for lab work, etc.) so just one hospital visit can result in five or six negative items on your reports.

I am not sure where to start with the medical debts. I have three that are definitely out of the statute of limitations and scheduled to fall off in 2012. Since I will not be trying to get a home loan for a couple of years, I figure I can just let these fall off my reports naturally.

I have several that are still within the statute of limitations, so my initial plan was to offer to pay for delete on those. I wanted to get some feedback before I set out to do that, though. The "good" news in all of this is that all of the medical debts "only" add up to about $6,000. I know it could be much worse. Additionally, a lot of the negative items are for small charges, like $89 and $94 -- if I do make pay for delete arrangements, I can start out with the small sums and then make arrangements to pay the bigger ones (most are under $300, but I have one for $2,594 -- ER visit back in 2009 and one for $606 -- radiology services).

Thanks in advance for any suggestions. I am committed to doing the work necessary to improve my credit -- and to not making the same mistakes in the future!

It is better to dispute these medical accounts off your reports NOW rather than waiting for them to "fall off" or doing a PFD with the reporting CA.

If you pay the CA you will, at best, get a "paid" collection on your reports, which is WORSE for your scores than an unpaid one, as it is STILL a "derogatory" but because it will have a more recent date it will HURT your scores.

Opt out
http://www.whychat.5...OPTOUTINST.HTML
Try to get old addresses deleted if you have moved since the dates of service

Send each CRA ( using a REAL report with a report ID# To order, visit annualcreditreport.com,or call 1-877-322-8228 DOUBLE CHECK for any errors or misinformation as to your name SS# addresses etc.) this:
http://www.whychat.5.../hipaadisp.html
DO NOT dispute anything other than the medical accounts, list ALL medical accounts old or new, paid or unpaid, valid or not.

Come back to THIS POST for further instructions once you have completed the above steps. Cleaning your report may be a long ( several Months) process and every one is different so do not automatically assume that advice given to any other poster is valid for you.

Since you were on assistance, and not regular insurance, try to find records of what was paid, and get your MIB report also.
http://www.mib.com/h...our_record.html
People who have received medical assistance are much more vulnerable to id theft/fraud for medical visits.

Thanks for all the info! I opted out the other day and just wrote my address dispute letter. I will wait to hear back on those before I move forward.

Just to clarify, I wasn't on assistance at the time of these service dates. I made "too much money" to qualify for medical insurance through the state, but I have too many pre-existing conditions to get insurance through a private insurer. The hospital's program is a little more lenient on income maximums, so they wiped out the hospital charges (room charges, food, etc.), but I was unable to pay the radiology service provider, laboratory charges, etc.

Do you have any letters that show that the hospital bill was "wiped out"??

If the rest of the accounts are from Drs and lab charges etc. and are over 4 years old ,they are past the SOL for being sued so you can safely dispute them.

PS, I just noticed another post from you, make sure you ONLY maintain ONE thread.

I don't have anything from the hospitals, but I have not gotten any bills from them and they are not on my credit reports. The ones on my reports are from the labs, radiology service providers, and private physician practices. I will keep this post open and delete the other one. Some of the charges are four years old, but some are not. Should I do the pre-HIPAA letters anyway?

[Why Chat]

Hello! My name is Morgan and I am a new member. I really want to repair my credit so that I can qualify for a home loan within two to three years. I did some preliminary work back in 2010 and I was able to raise my scores quite a bit just by sending dispute letters and having my fiancee add me as an AU on two of his credit cards. I don't remember what my original scores were, but I know two of them were in the 400s and TU was in the low 500s. My current scores are as follows:

EQ: 575
EX: 576
TU: 628

I have three credit card accounts in good standing: Lowe's ($4,900 limit), Littman Jewelers ($2,600 limit) and a Discover Card ($3,000 limit). My student loans are currently in good standing (I was in default until late 2009, when I successfully completed a rehab program and then consolidated -- all payments have been on time and in full since then).

My biggest issue is medical debt. If I didn't have health issues, my scores would probably be a lot better. The worst part is, it seems like they bill for everything separately these days (one fee for the doctor, one fee for the ER, one fee for radiology, one fee for lab work, etc.) so just one hospital visit can result in five or six negative items on your reports.

I am not sure where to start with the medical debts. I have three that are definitely out of the statute of limitations and scheduled to fall off in 2012. Since I will not be trying to get a home loan for a couple of years, I figure I can just let these fall off my reports naturally.

I have several that are still within the statute of limitations, so my initial plan was to offer to pay for delete on those. I wanted to get some feedback before I set out to do that, though. The "good" news in all of this is that all of the medical debts "only" add up to about $6,000. I know it could be much worse. Additionally, a lot of the negative items are for small charges, like $89 and $94 -- if I do make pay for delete arrangements, I can start out with the small sums and then make arrangements to pay the bigger ones (most are under $300, but I have one for $2,594 -- ER visit back in 2009 and one for $606 -- radiology services).

Thanks in advance for any suggestions. I am committed to doing the work necessary to improve my credit -- and to not making the same mistakes in the future!

It is better to dispute these medical accounts off your reports NOW rather than waiting for them to "fall off" or doing a PFD with the reporting CA.

If you pay the CA you will, at best, get a "paid" collection on your reports, which is WORSE for your scores than an unpaid one, as it is STILL a "derogatory" but because it will have a more recent date it will HURT your scores.

Opt out
http://www.whychat.5...OPTOUTINST.HTML
Try to get old addresses deleted if you have moved since the dates of service

Send each CRA ( using a REAL report with a report ID# To order, visit annualcreditreport.com,or call 1-877-322-8228 DOUBLE CHECK for any errors or misinformation as to your name SS# addresses etc.) this:
http://www.whychat.5.../hipaadisp.html
DO NOT dispute anything other than the medical accounts, list ALL medical accounts old or new, paid or unpaid, valid or not.

Come back to THIS POST for further instructions once you have completed the above steps. Cleaning your report may be a long ( several Months) process and every one is different so do not automatically assume that advice given to any other poster is valid for you.

Since you were on assistance, and not regular insurance, try to find records of what was paid, and get your MIB report also.
http://www.mib.com/h...our_record.html
People who have received medical assistance are much more vulnerable to id theft/fraud for medical visits.

Thanks for all the info! I opted out the other day and just wrote my address dispute letter. I will wait to hear back on those before I move forward.

Just to clarify, I wasn't on assistance at the time of these service dates. I made "too much money" to qualify for medical insurance through the state, but I have too many pre-existing conditions to get insurance through a private insurer. The hospital's program is a little more lenient on income maximums, so they wiped out the hospital charges (room charges, food, etc.), but I was unable to pay the radiology service provider, laboratory charges, etc.

Do you have any letters that show that the hospital bill was "wiped out"??

If the rest of the accounts are from Drs and lab charges etc. and are over 4 years old ,they are past the SOL for being sued so you can safely dispute them.

PS, I just noticed another post from you, make sure you ONLY maintain ONE thread.

I don't have anything from the hospitals, but I have not gotten any bills from them and they are not on my credit reports. The ones on my reports are from the labs, radiology service providers, and private physician practices. I will keep this post open and delete the other one. Some of the charges are four years old, but some are not. Should I do the pre-HIPAA letters anyway? YES -- worse comes to worse, if you do not get a deletion, AND the reporting CA responds ( to your initial dispute to the CRAs) with DOCUMENTATION that they are in a CURRENT business relationship with the OC health care provider, you can THEN pay the OC health care provider with the HIPAA letter insert "a"
http://www.whychat.5u.com/hipltr.html
please remember that a response ONLY from the CRA as "verified" is NOT the same thing as having a response from the reporting CA establishing a current relationship. If THAT happens, you then send the medical DV to the reporting CA and a follow up re-dispute to the CRA

[LMorgan]

Hello! My name is Morgan and I am a new member. I really want to repair my credit so that I can qualify for a home loan within two to three years. I did some preliminary work back in 2010 and I was able to raise my scores quite a bit just by sending dispute letters and having my fiancee add me as an AU on two of his credit cards. I don't remember what my original scores were, but I know two of them were in the 400s and TU was in the low 500s. My current scores are as follows:

EQ: 575
EX: 576
TU: 628

I have three credit card accounts in good standing: Lowe's ($4,900 limit), Littman Jewelers ($2,600 limit) and a Discover Card ($3,000 limit). My student loans are currently in good standing (I was in default until late 2009, when I successfully completed a rehab program and then consolidated -- all payments have been on time and in full since then).

My biggest issue is medical debt. If I didn't have health issues, my scores would probably be a lot better. The worst part is, it seems like they bill for everything separately these days (one fee for the doctor, one fee for the ER, one fee for radiology, one fee for lab work, etc.) so just one hospital visit can result in five or six negative items on your reports.

I am not sure where to start with the medical debts. I have three that are definitely out of the statute of limitations and scheduled to fall off in 2012. Since I will not be trying to get a home loan for a couple of years, I figure I can just let these fall off my reports naturally.

I have several that are still within the statute of limitations, so my initial plan was to offer to pay for delete on those. I wanted to get some feedback before I set out to do that, though. The "good" news in all of this is that all of the medical debts "only" add up to about $6,000. I know it could be much worse. Additionally, a lot of the negative items are for small charges, like $89 and $94 -- if I do make pay for delete arrangements, I can start out with the small sums and then make arrangements to pay the bigger ones (most are under $300, but I have one for $2,594 -- ER visit back in 2009 and one for $606 -- radiology services).

Thanks in advance for any suggestions. I am committed to doing the work necessary to improve my credit -- and to not making the same mistakes in the future!

It is better to dispute these medical accounts off your reports NOW rather than waiting for them to "fall off" or doing a PFD with the reporting CA.

If you pay the CA you will, at best, get a "paid" collection on your reports, which is WORSE for your scores than an unpaid one, as it is STILL a "derogatory" but because it will have a more recent date it will HURT your scores.

Opt out
http://www.whychat.5...OPTOUTINST.HTML
Try to get old addresses deleted if you have moved since the dates of service

Send each CRA ( using a REAL report with a report ID# To order, visit annualcreditreport.com,or call 1-877-322-8228 DOUBLE CHECK for any errors or misinformation as to your name SS# addresses etc.) this:
http://www.whychat.5.../hipaadisp.html
DO NOT dispute anything other than the medical accounts, list ALL medical accounts old or new, paid or unpaid, valid or not.

Come back to THIS POST for further instructions once you have completed the above steps. Cleaning your report may be a long ( several Months) process and every one is different so do not automatically assume that advice given to any other poster is valid for you.

Since you were on assistance, and not regular insurance, try to find records of what was paid, and get your MIB report also.
http://www.mib.com/h...our_record.html
People who have received medical assistance are much more vulnerable to id theft/fraud for medical visits.

Thanks for all the info! I opted out the other day and just wrote my address dispute letter. I will wait to hear back on those before I move forward.

Just to clarify, I wasn't on assistance at the time of these service dates. I made "too much money" to qualify for medical insurance through the state, but I have too many pre-existing conditions to get insurance through a private insurer. The hospital's program is a little more lenient on income maximums, so they wiped out the hospital charges (room charges, food, etc.), but I was unable to pay the radiology service provider, laboratory charges, etc.

Do you have any letters that show that the hospital bill was "wiped out"??

If the rest of the accounts are from Drs and lab charges etc. and are over 4 years old ,they are past the SOL for being sued so you can safely dispute them.

PS, I just noticed another post from you, make sure you ONLY maintain ONE thread.

I don't have anything from the hospitals, but I have not gotten any bills from them and they are not on my credit reports. The ones on my reports are from the labs, radiology service providers, and private physician practices. I will keep this post open and delete the other one. Some of the charges are four years old, but some are not. Should I do the pre-HIPAA letters anyway? YES -- worse comes to worse, if you do not get a deletion, AND the reporting CA responds ( to your initial dispute to the CRAs) with DOCUMENTATION that they are in a CURRENT business relationship with the OC health care provider, you can THEN pay the OC health care provider with the HIPAA letter insert "a"
http://www.whychat.5u.com/hipltr.html
please remember that a response ONLY from the CRA as "verified" is NOT the same thing as having a response from the reporting CA establishing a current relationship. If THAT happens, you then send the medical DV to the reporting CA and a follow up re-dispute to the CRA

Thanks for the additional info. I thought you could only send a validation letter 30 days after first contact from the CA (or 30 days after you see something from a CA on your credit report).

I'm going to send the pre-HIPAA letters and then I will post back here.

Edited to add: What should I say when writing my address dispute letters? I was thinking of something very short, like "I am writing regarding credit report #XXXX. Please delete the following addresses from my file" and then listing the two old addresses. Is this okay?

Edited by LMorgan, 30 March 2012 - 05:07 AM.

[Why Chat]

Hello! My name is Morgan and I am a new member. I really want to repair my credit so that I can qualify for a home loan within two to three years. I did some preliminary work back in 2010 and I was able to raise my scores quite a bit just by sending dispute letters and having my fiancee add me as an AU on two of his credit cards. I don't remember what my original scores were, but I know two of them were in the 400s and TU was in the low 500s. My current scores are as follows:

EQ: 575
EX: 576
TU: 628

I have three credit card accounts in good standing: Lowe's ($4,900 limit), Littman Jewelers ($2,600 limit) and a Discover Card ($3,000 limit). My student loans are currently in good standing (I was in default until late 2009, when I successfully completed a rehab program and then consolidated -- all payments have been on time and in full since then).

My biggest issue is medical debt. If I didn't have health issues, my scores would probably be a lot better. The worst part is, it seems like they bill for everything separately these days (one fee for the doctor, one fee for the ER, one fee for radiology, one fee for lab work, etc.) so just one hospital visit can result in five or six negative items on your reports.

I am not sure where to start with the medical debts. I have three that are definitely out of the statute of limitations and scheduled to fall off in 2012. Since I will not be trying to get a home loan for a couple of years, I figure I can just let these fall off my reports naturally.

I have several that are still within the statute of limitations, so my initial plan was to offer to pay for delete on those. I wanted to get some feedback before I set out to do that, though. The "good" news in all of this is that all of the medical debts "only" add up to about $6,000. I know it could be much worse. Additionally, a lot of the negative items are for small charges, like $89 and $94 -- if I do make pay for delete arrangements, I can start out with the small sums and then make arrangements to pay the bigger ones (most are under $300, but I have one for $2,594 -- ER visit back in 2009 and one for $606 -- radiology services).

Thanks in advance for any suggestions. I am committed to doing the work necessary to improve my credit -- and to not making the same mistakes in the future!

It is better to dispute these medical accounts off your reports NOW rather than waiting for them to "fall off" or doing a PFD with the reporting CA.

If you pay the CA you will, at best, get a "paid" collection on your reports, which is WORSE for your scores than an unpaid one, as it is STILL a "derogatory" but because it will have a more recent date it will HURT your scores.

Opt out
http://www.whychat.5...OPTOUTINST.HTML
Try to get old addresses deleted if you have moved since the dates of service

Send each CRA ( using a REAL report with a report ID# To order, visit annualcreditreport.com,or call 1-877-322-8228 DOUBLE CHECK for any errors or misinformation as to your name SS# addresses etc.) this:
http://www.whychat.5.../hipaadisp.html
DO NOT dispute anything other than the medical accounts, list ALL medical accounts old or new, paid or unpaid, valid or not.

Come back to THIS POST for further instructions once you have completed the above steps. Cleaning your report may be a long ( several Months) process and every one is different so do not automatically assume that advice given to any other poster is valid for you.

Since you were on assistance, and not regular insurance, try to find records of what was paid, and get your MIB report also.
http://www.mib.com/h...our_record.html
People who have received medical assistance are much more vulnerable to id theft/fraud for medical visits.

Thanks for all the info! I opted out the other day and just wrote my address dispute letter. I will wait to hear back on those before I move forward.

Just to clarify, I wasn't on assistance at the time of these service dates. I made "too much money" to qualify for medical insurance through the state, but I have too many pre-existing conditions to get insurance through a private insurer. The hospital's program is a little more lenient on income maximums, so they wiped out the hospital charges (room charges, food, etc.), but I was unable to pay the radiology service provider, laboratory charges, etc.

Do you have any letters that show that the hospital bill was "wiped out"??

If the rest of the accounts are from Drs and lab charges etc. and are over 4 years old ,they are past the SOL for being sued so you can safely dispute them.

PS, I just noticed another post from you, make sure you ONLY maintain ONE thread.

I don't have anything from the hospitals, but I have not gotten any bills from them and they are not on my credit reports. The ones on my reports are from the labs, radiology service providers, and private physician practices. I will keep this post open and delete the other one. Some of the charges are four years old, but some are not. Should I do the pre-HIPAA letters anyway? YES -- worse comes to worse, if you do not get a deletion, AND the reporting CA responds ( to your initial dispute to the CRAs) with DOCUMENTATION that they are in a CURRENT business relationship with the OC health care provider, you can THEN pay the OC health care provider with the HIPAA letter insert "a"
http://www.whychat.5u.com/hipltr.html
please remember that a response ONLY from the CRA as "verified" is NOT the same thing as having a response from the reporting CA establishing a current relationship. If THAT happens, you then send the medical DV to the reporting CA and a follow up re-dispute to the CRA

Thanks for the additional info. I thought you could only send a validation letter 30 days after first contact from the CA (or 30 days after you see something from a CA on your credit report).

I'm going to send the pre-HIPAA letters and then I will post back here.

Edited to add: What should I say when writing my address dispute letters? I was thinking of something very short, like "I am writing regarding credit report #XXXX. Please delete the following addresses from my file" and then listing the two old addresses. Is this okay?

You need to try to get old addresses off your reports BEFORE sending any dispute letters, NOT at the same time.

Here is the way you dispute old addresses,send it certified mail, properly typed.

Dear CRA
Re: Report # xxxxxxxxx
I am sending this certified mail # xxxxxxxxxxxxx to prove your receipt.
My name is xxxxxx my SS # is xxxxxxxx

I am writing to request correction of incorrect addresses on my report.

My current correct address is xxx xxxx xxxxx, I am enclosing a copy of my drivers licence, a copy of my SS card an an original recent utility bill to prove my identity.

Please delete the following addresses from my report
xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx
xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx

They are not valid and I am concerned about identity theft.

Sincerely
xxx ( sign your name )

If you have GOOD old trade lines on your reports from closed accounts, NOTIFY those accounts FIRST before disputing addresses, send them a letter providing your current address and ask them to update their records, otherwise you may lose them.

[LMorgan]

Hello! My name is Morgan and I am a new member. I really want to repair my credit so that I can qualify for a home loan within two to three years. I did some preliminary work back in 2010 and I was able to raise my scores quite a bit just by sending dispute letters and having my fiancee add me as an AU on two of his credit cards. I don't remember what my original scores were, but I know two of them were in the 400s and TU was in the low 500s. My current scores are as follows:

EQ: 575
EX: 576
TU: 628

I have three credit card accounts in good standing: Lowe's ($4,900 limit), Littman Jewelers ($2,600 limit) and a Discover Card ($3,000 limit). My student loans are currently in good standing (I was in default until late 2009, when I successfully completed a rehab program and then consolidated -- all payments have been on time and in full since then).

My biggest issue is medical debt. If I didn't have health issues, my scores would probably be a lot better. The worst part is, it seems like they bill for everything separately these days (one fee for the doctor, one fee for the ER, one fee for radiology, one fee for lab work, etc.) so just one hospital visit can result in five or six negative items on your reports.

I am not sure where to start with the medical debts. I have three that are definitely out of the statute of limitations and scheduled to fall off in 2012. Since I will not be trying to get a home loan for a couple of years, I figure I can just let these fall off my reports naturally.

I have several that are still within the statute of limitations, so my initial plan was to offer to pay for delete on those. I wanted to get some feedback before I set out to do that, though. The "good" news in all of this is that all of the medical debts "only" add up to about $6,000. I know it could be much worse. Additionally, a lot of the negative items are for small charges, like $89 and $94 -- if I do make pay for delete arrangements, I can start out with the small sums and then make arrangements to pay the bigger ones (most are under $300, but I have one for $2,594 -- ER visit back in 2009 and one for $606 -- radiology services).

Thanks in advance for any suggestions. I am committed to doing the work necessary to improve my credit -- and to not making the same mistakes in the future!

It is better to dispute these medical accounts off your reports NOW rather than waiting for them to "fall off" or doing a PFD with the reporting CA.

If you pay the CA you will, at best, get a "paid" collection on your reports, which is WORSE for your scores than an unpaid one, as it is STILL a "derogatory" but because it will have a more recent date it will HURT your scores.

Opt out
http://www.whychat.5...OPTOUTINST.HTML
Try to get old addresses deleted if you have moved since the dates of service

Send each CRA ( using a REAL report with a report ID# To order, visit annualcreditreport.com,or call 1-877-322-8228 DOUBLE CHECK for any errors or misinformation as to your name SS# addresses etc.) this:
http://www.whychat.5.../hipaadisp.html
DO NOT dispute anything other than the medical accounts, list ALL medical accounts old or new, paid or unpaid, valid or not.

Come back to THIS POST for further instructions once you have completed the above steps. Cleaning your report may be a long ( several Months) process and every one is different so do not automatically assume that advice given to any other poster is valid for you.

Since you were on assistance, and not regular insurance, try to find records of what was paid, and get your MIB report also.
http://www.mib.com/h...our_record.html
People who have received medical assistance are much more vulnerable to id theft/fraud for medical visits.

Thanks for all the info! I opted out the other day and just wrote my address dispute letter. I will wait to hear back on those before I move forward.

Just to clarify, I wasn't on assistance at the time of these service dates. I made "too much money" to qualify for medical insurance through the state, but I have too many pre-existing conditions to get insurance through a private insurer. The hospital's program is a little more lenient on income maximums, so they wiped out the hospital charges (room charges, food, etc.), but I was unable to pay the radiology service provider, laboratory charges, etc.

Do you have any letters that show that the hospital bill was "wiped out"??

If the rest of the accounts are from Drs and lab charges etc. and are over 4 years old ,they are past the SOL for being sued so you can safely dispute them.

PS, I just noticed another post from you, make sure you ONLY maintain ONE thread.

I don't have anything from the hospitals, but I have not gotten any bills from them and they are not on my credit reports. The ones on my reports are from the labs, radiology service providers, and private physician practices. I will keep this post open and delete the other one. Some of the charges are four years old, but some are not. Should I do the pre-HIPAA letters anyway? YES -- worse comes to worse, if you do not get a deletion, AND the reporting CA responds ( to your initial dispute to the CRAs) with DOCUMENTATION that they are in a CURRENT business relationship with the OC health care provider, you can THEN pay the OC health care provider with the HIPAA letter insert "a"
http://www.whychat.5u.com/hipltr.html
please remember that a response ONLY from the CRA as "verified" is NOT the same thing as having a response from the reporting CA establishing a current relationship. If THAT happens, you then send the medical DV to the reporting CA and a follow up re-dispute to the CRA

Thanks for the additional info. I thought you could only send a validation letter 30 days after first contact from the CA (or 30 days after you see something from a CA on your credit report).

I'm going to send the pre-HIPAA letters and then I will post back here.

Edited to add: What should I say when writing my address dispute letters? I was thinking of something very short, like "I am writing regarding credit report #XXXX. Please delete the following addresses from my file" and then listing the two old addresses. Is this okay?

You need to try to get old addresses off your reports BEFORE sending any dispute letters, NOT at the same time.

Here is the way you dispute old addresses,send it certified mail, properly typed.

Dear CRA
Re: Report # xxxxxxxxx
I am sending this certified mail # xxxxxxxxxxxxx to prove your receipt.
My name is xxxxxx my SS # is xxxxxxxx

I am writing to request correction of incorrect addresses on my report.

My current correct address is xxx xxxx xxxxx, I am enclosing a copy of my drivers licence, a copy of my SS card an an original recent utility bill to prove my identity.

Please delete the following addresses from my report
xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx
xxxxxx xxxxxx xxxxxx

They are not valid and I am concerned about identity theft.

Sincerely
xxx ( sign your name )

If you have GOOD old trade lines on your reports from closed accounts, NOTIFY those accounts FIRST before disputing addresses, send them a letter providing your current address and ask them to update their records, otherwise you may lose them.

Thanks. I wasn't going to file any disputes until I sent the address letters out. I will send letters to my old student loan lenders with my current address before I send my address letters to the CRAs.

Edited by LMorgan, 30 March 2012 - 02:45 PM.

[LMorgan]

Just to make sure I am going about this the right way, here is what I understand I am to do.

1) Opt out (done).
2) Make sure I update my address with creditors of old tradelines in good standing.
3) Write letters asking the three CRAs to remove my old addresses from my reports.
4) Send pre-HIPAA letters to the CRAs.
5) If verified, deal with the original creditors using the letters on WhyChat's site.

I have a few non-medical items I also want to dispute. Should I leave those alone until I have completed the entire HIPAA process with my medical debts? I only ask because I have a student loan reported as 120+days late on my report, but the account was actually closed when I consolidated my loans. The status should be "Paid or pays as agreed," not late. I will leave that alone until you tell me to, though.

Edited by LMorgan, 30 March 2012 - 06:43 PM.

[Why Chat]

Just to make sure I am going about this the right way, here is what I understand I am to do.

1) Opt out (done). OK
2) Make sure I update my address with creditors of old tradelines in good standing. OK

3) Write letters asking the three CRAs to remove my old addresses from my reports. OK

4) Send pre-HIPAA letters to the CRAs. OK

5) If verified, deal with the original creditors using the letters on WhyChat's site.NO!! a "verification" from the CRA is NOT proof of a current business relationship. There are follow up medical DVs and re-disputes to use IF all you get is a "verified" from the CRA without a response from the CA


I have a few non-medical items I also want to dispute. Should I leave those alone until I have completed the entire HIPAA process with my medical debts?Not neccessarily, how did you "consolidate"?? Did you do it through a Gov. supported program??
http://www2.ed.gov/o.../DCS/index.html

if so you can certainly dispute it through this link, as long as you do NOT dispute it with the CRAs
I only ask because I have a student loan reported as 120+days late on my report, but the account was actually closed when I consolidated my loans. The status should be "Paid or pays as agreed," not late. I will leave that alone until you tell me to, though.

[LMorgan]

Just to make sure I am going about this the right way, here is what I understand I am to do.

1) Opt out (done). OK
2) Make sure I update my address with creditors of old tradelines in good standing. OK

3) Write letters asking the three CRAs to remove my old addresses from my reports. OK

4) Send pre-HIPAA letters to the CRAs. OK

5) If verified, deal with the original creditors using the letters on WhyChat's site.NO!! a "verification" from the CRA is NOT proof of a current business relationship. There are follow up medical DVs and re-disputes to use IF all you get is a "verified" from the CRA without a response from the CA


I have a few non-medical items I also want to dispute. Should I leave those alone until I have completed the entire HIPAA process with my medical debts?Not neccessarily, how did you "consolidate"?? Did you do it through a Gov. supported program??
http://www2.ed.gov/o.../DCS/index.html

if so you can certainly dispute it through this link, as long as you do NOT dispute it with the CRAs
I only ask because I have a student loan reported as 120+days late on my report, but the account was actually closed when I consolidated my loans. The status should be "Paid or pays as agreed," not late. I will leave that alone until you tell me to, though.

Okay, thanks for clarifying on step 5. I was originally in default on the loan because I was hospitalized multiple times, lost my job, had no insurance, etc. I did a loan rehab program, made large monthly payments on time for 9 consecutive months, and then I consolidated the loans after they were back in good standing. The company reported the status as "paid or pays as agreed" on my TU report, but my EQ and EX reports say "120+ days late" for the status. I consolidated through Direct Loans, which is the government loan consolidation program.

[LMorgan]

Question:

A new CA just put three new TLs on my report. I have never heard of them or received any communication from them. Should I send a DV letter, or will that screw up my HIPAA process?

[Why Chat]

Question:

A new CA just put three new TLs on my report. I have never heard of them or received any communication from them. Should I send a DV letter, or will that screw up my HIPAA process?

Have you opted out??
Have you checked your reports for unknown name spellings, unknown addresses, different SS#s?? Are these medical accounts??

I think you may be the victim of ID theft/fraud.

If these are NOT YOUR ACCOUNTS, then you need to send an immediate DV to the CA
if it IS a medical, send the medicsl DV
http://whychat.5u.co...cavalhipaa.html

If it NOT medical send them this:
http://whychat.5u.com/ltrcaval.html

You will have to edit the first paragraph as follows:
This letter is being sent to you in response to your fraudulent reporting of an unknown account on my (ex.,Eq,TU) report, (copy attached)just copy the portion of each report that has their entry.

I believe I am the victim of ID theft/fraud as I hsve no knowledge or records of this account.

DO NOT dispute this with the CRAs until your medical disputes have been resolved.

[LMorgan]

I think they are my accounts, but the amounts don't look familiar (but that could be because they added fees and interest). I have done business with the original creditor many times (local hospital). They are medical accounts and marked as such.

I just have not received any calls or collection letters from the company, so I don't know the service dates or services these entries refer to.

I opted out last week as per your instructions. I wrote my address deletion letters and am mailing them today. There are no other SS #s or names listed on my reports.

Should I just send the medical DV letter as-is (without changing the first sentence)?

[Why Chat]

I think they are my accounts, but the amounts don't look familiar (but that could be because they added fees and interest). I have done business with the original creditor many times (local hospital). They are medical accounts and marked as such.

I just have not received any calls or collection letters from the company, so I don't know the service dates or services these entries refer to.

I opted out last week as per your instructions. I wrote my address deletion letters and am mailing them today. There are no other SS #s or names listed on my reports.

Should I just send the medical DV letter as-is (without changing the first sentence)?

WHOA!!!

No, belay my last post!!

All you need to do is to add these new accounts to the initial dispute letter to the CRAs, once you have deleted old addresses.

Just LIST all medical accounts on each dispute letter to each CRA as they appear on THAT report.

I thought you were further along in the process.

[LMorgan]

Okay, thanks. I just joined here last week, so I'm not too far along. I opted out as soon as you told me about it and then I wrote my address deletion letters -- didn't get to mail them sooner because of work and events going on.

I'll just add these to my dispute letters.

One more question: when the CRAs receive my address deletion requests, how will I know when it is okay to proceed with my disputes? I have monitoring through EX, so I can pull reports from them daily and see if anything has changed. I don't have monitoring for TU or EQ, though. Will I receive a letter confirming deletion (if they do delete anything)?

[Why Chat]

Okay, thanks. I just joined here last week, so I'm not too far along. I opted out as soon as you told me about it and then I wrote my address deletion letters -- didn't get to mail them sooner because of work and events going on.

I'll just add these to my dispute letters.

One more question: when the CRAs receive my address deletion requests, how will I know when it is okay to proceed with my disputes? I have monitoring through EX, so I can pull reports from them daily and see if anything has changed. I don't have monitoring for TU or EQ, though. Will I receive a letter confirming deletion (if they do delete anything)?

You can check TU and Eq through the "back door" if you have recent credit reports with ID #s from them.

You go to their website, go to "new dispute" ( DO NOT ACTUALLY DISPUTE ANYTHING- PLUS BE CAREFUL ABOUT CHECKING BOXES THAT WOULD OPT YOU BACK IN OR GIVE THEM THE OPTION OF ANSWERING YOU VIA THE INTERNET OR E-MAIL) You will then be able to pull up a current report.

Wait at least a week from the date they have received your address letter before checking.

[LMorgan]

Okay, thanks. I just joined here last week, so I'm not too far along. I opted out as soon as you told me about it and then I wrote my address deletion letters -- didn't get to mail them sooner because of work and events going on.

I'll just add these to my dispute letters.

One more question: when the CRAs receive my address deletion requests, how will I know when it is okay to proceed with my disputes? I have monitoring through EX, so I can pull reports from them daily and see if anything has changed. I don't have monitoring for TU or EQ, though. Will I receive a letter confirming deletion (if they do delete anything)?

You can check TU and Eq through the "back door" if you have recent credit reports with ID #s from them.

You go to their website, go to "new dispute" ( DO NOT ACTUALLY DISPUTE ANYTHING- PLUS BE CAREFUL ABOUT CHECKING BOXES THAT WOULD OPT YOU BACK IN OR GIVE THEM THE OPTION OF ANSWERING YOU VIA THE INTERNET OR E-MAIL) You will then be able to pull up a current report.

Wait at least a week from the date they have received your address letter before checking.

Hi WhyChat -- just wanted to post an update about the process. I updated my address with two old creditors so I don't lose the positive TLs. Then I sent out my address deletion letters. TU deleted all but my current address very quickly. I'm still waiting on EX and EQ.

I have my pre-HIPAA dispute letters typed up and ready to go. I will pull my reports again the day I send them in case I have to add any info to them.

I have purple copy paper that I bought when I was making something for my bridal shower. Would it be okay to send the pre-HIPAA letters to the CRAs on the purple copy paper if I use a dark purple/plum font?