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Yikes! I think I've screwed up & need help fixing it. I received a bill for labwork ($650 in Aug 2012) that should have been covered by insurance as part of a physical exam. I disputed the charge, the hospital said I still owed it, and it ended up in collections. I finally managed to talk my doctor into resubmitting the claim to my insurance, who has agreed to pay it, but the process is taking a really long time. Being completely naive, I've spent countless hours on the phone with both hospital billing and the collections agency trying to fix this on my own. Just the other day, the CA told me the interest is piling up and that the dispute is active on my credit report...I panicked and verbally agreed to pay the amount due, which they said they would refund to me once my insurance finally pays. They told me they recorded an "agree to pay" by July 30. I then checked my credit reports (free version of all three) and didn't see anything about this bill or a dispute. I'm trying to be honest and do the right thing, but after reading through this board, I think I've made some serious mistakes. I deeply appreciate any advice. Warmly, Andrea in San Diego

On Feb 21, 2014 I received an alert from CreditCheck Monitoring through USAA that I had an account go into collections. I immediately called the phone number listed on that alert to see what was going on. I was told that it was for a physician's bill from 8/14/13 totalling $62.60. I do think this debt is legitimate as I normally pay for my office visits with cash, but the last time I was seen I decided to have them run it through my insurance to see if I would save more than the cash discount they offered. The problem is I never received a copy of this bill, or any late notices. Also I never received any notice that it was going into collections or had gone into collections. I went ahead and paid the bill and was told that they would delete it from my credit report, but that it would take at least 30 days. I also asked to see a copy of the bill as I had never received it before. I received a letter today from the creditors which says I have a $0 balance on the account as well as a copy of the bill which has an address that I haven't lived at since Oct 2012. This would explain why I never received a copy of the bill. At this point I'm questioning if I did the right thing handling this all over the phone as right now I'm just resting my hopes in the spoken word of a debt collector that this will be removed from my file. I'm about a week away from the 30 days she said to wait for this to get removed, but I'm wondering what the best thing to do at this point is? Should I wait? Should I send a written letter to someone disputing the address on the bill or something else? The other thing I will add is I have been going to this practice for 20+ years. My doctor retired a year ago and there is a new guy that's taken his place, but I still know the office staff fairly well. If the best way to handle this is trying to resolve it face to face I can do that as well.

Hello, I just became aware of two small medical collection accounts on my credit report. I am able to pay them off, but I'm in the middle of applying for refinance on my home. what is the best thing (letter, receipt, etc...) from the collection agency when I pay. My lender asked me to make sure I ask for a letter, but I can't remember the name, is it a deletion letter? Thanks, Love this forum C

I have confirmation the Original Creditor received my Money Order Payment. It was sent 3 weeks ago and has not been cashed. The orginal creditors went out of business in my city, so I sent the payment to the address provided by the CRA on my dispute answer. What should be my next step? Thanks.

Greetings, Not too long ago some harassment event took place. It escalated to the point were I ended up going to a nearby police station in order to address the situation. At the station the police officers apparently not knowing how to handle the situation an officer simply called for medical assistance without my consent. After we found out (wife & I) they had called an ambulance -we were of course concerned about "who is paying for it?" they said 'the medical insurance' without asking me in the first place. My wife told them that it wasn't really necessary and that we had no medical insurance (because we just chose not to). They insisted as if that was their procedure. After a while a guy came checked my pressure and said he was a little 'concerned' about my health because of how my pulse read came out -obviously because of the stress in the first place. After the initial stressful event happened -it was if I recall correctly 130/90 -which doesn't sound as extravagant a rate as they were acting. I had to ask the guy a couple times to kind of let him know I know I wasn't that far from what is considered the normal parameters. He took us on an ambulance to the hospital. On the way to the hospital the guy tell us that they are taking us to one of the best hospitals in the city… At the hospital they give me a gown to change and then a cup to provide a urine sample. After I gave them the sample I was waiting at the hall. They told me to enter a room with a bed and two small seats. While I waited for hours a lady came to take a blood sample. Well, long story short. After about 5-6 hours wait. A doctor came to say that everything was ok and that we (me and my wife) could leave. Never showed us any laboratory results, nothing, nada, whatsoever. She then came back with a paper to get a single signature on a page that said that if I experience a stressful moment like that to come back and it also stated that I was fine. I never signed anything else beside that sheet -although the guy in the ambulance did requested me to sign some papers which were practically blank…in which after all his questions he had nothing to write about and I refused for obvious reasons. Anyways, about two weeks later I get a letter from the hospital with a bill for $2,300+… and the letter also made clear that ambulances or any doctors involved, etc. were not being taken into account in that particular bill. …I am as cautious with my credit as I'm sure most of CB readers are. I personally protect it to the point of avoiding its use in situations were I'm sure most people might see as a real need. So you can imagine how this letter sat me down… Now I'm here of course not liking where this seems to be heading if I simply do nothing about it but also concerned about how any action I take in regards to this might hurt rather than help. So after reading some threads and some great Why Chat's posts, etc. I don't know... -what should I do? Credit Monitoring Services, HIPAA letter insert "a", fraud alert, credit freeze? I know that time can be a decisive factor many times so I'm wondering what would you do if you were me? Any help will be Greatly Appreciated.

I have over $25K in unpaid hospital debt that has gone to collections. I never thought that these bills would have a significantly negative impact on my ability to gain employment, or my ability to earn an income. Back in 2009, I was collecting unemployment, and was involved in an accident during a framing job for some side money. Uninsured, I relied on the services of a county hospital in California. I was shocked to see that the total amount for the surgery I needed totaled over $25K. I applied for the county financial assistance program, but was denied assistance since my unemployment insurance benefits paid a couple hundred dollars more than the maximum amount allowed to qualify. I vowed that one day my income potential would improve and once that happened, I would pay back the debt and move on with my life. Fast forward to the summer of 2013. Degree completed, student loans being paid, fathered a child, moved into a larger place with child and significant other. She stays at home and is finishing her MBA while planning her (...oops, our) fairy tale wedding on a shoestring budget. So while my earning power has improved, new expenses and one income do not provide enough slack in the income to pay off all current liabilities and satisfy all bad debts. Frustrated by the glass ceiling of my current job, I applied to, interviewed and was offered a position with a prestigious financial institution. As part of the employment process, a credit check was conducted, and two days later (a day before I submitted my 2 week notice) I was told that I would need to bring the bad debt down to a balance not to exceed $15K in order to come on board with the firm and the offer was rescinded. This is the 2nd time in three years that this has stagnated financial growth. One credit report (from Credco in 2012) lists the county/ governing agency as the CA and the OC as the hospital where aid was rendered. Reports directly from the CRAs' (as of 7/2013) list the collections department of the governing agency as the CA and "government misc debt" as the OC or account type. Now what? My questions are several, please bear with me: Since this is a county hospital, am I SOL? (not statue of limitations) In this situation, is there any recourse by taking the steps you listed in previous posts? Am I in jeopardy of being sued? Should I file bankruptcy to avoid being sued? Is bankruptcy an option? What are the consequences, short/ long term? How does a bankruptcy affect my ability to obtain a position in the financial industry? How will this decision affect my significant other after the wedding? Does she incur my bad debts as my spouse? Do credit management companies do anything more than what you are advising CB members to do? A company I consulted stated that it would take monthly payments of $383 for three to three and half years to "satisfy" this debt. The first thing that crossed my mind was, "if I can afford that, why do I need the debt mgmt company?" I know I have overwhelmed you with all my questions, but this recent news is overwhelming.