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Medical collection My husband has a medical collection for $1900. This was for an E/R visit, prior to having insurance. It went to collections because I wasn't able to negotiate on his behalf due to hospital not uploading the HIPAA form with my name on it while he was out of the country. He is a lawful permanent resident (Greencard holder) now. He has a SS and is working to build credit. This collection item doesn't show up on his credit reports yet. We want to pay it, however don't want it to affect his credit. What is the best way to handle this with the Collection agency (Revco Solutions)?

Hi All - I'm new here but I'll cut to the chase. I have an ambulance bill from 2021 which I've received a collections letter despite my insurance paying 50%. I'll provide some details below. I'll have some questions too. Background Details / Additional Info This was an emergency Location: California I reached my out-of-network out-of-pocket max and out-of-network deductible by the time this was billed I have the EOB from my insurance for this bill There is a note on the bottom of my EOB which says: "HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONAL: THE PATIENT SHOULD NOT BE LIABLE IF YOU ACCEPT THE ALLOWABLE AMOUNT. CUSTOMER: CALL XXXXX AT THE NUMBER ON YOUR XXXXX ID CARD IF YOUR HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONAL BILLS YOU MORE THAN THE "WHAT I OWE" AMOUNT ON THE FRONT OF THIS EXPLANATION OF BENEFITS." Is this binding in any way? Timeline Mid-Late 2021 I was taken to the hospital/ER via ground ambulance (out-of-network) after a 911 call After some time, I received a bill at some point for ~$2,000 (I can't remember when or how I got in touch with them for billing) I sent the invoice to my insurance who made a partial payment; their was eventually a correction from the payments by my insurance to the ambulance service which resulted in my insurance paying an additional amount totaling 50% (treating them as if they were in-network and pay the "allowed amount") May 2023 I received the first collections letter from Grant Mercantile Agency stating I have 30 days to dispute May 30th, 2023 I called my insurance and mentioned that I have this collections item for this service which they had already paid and the insurance rep said don't pay them a dime, we'll call them and take care of it. I was amazed and confident it would get resolved, so I didn't send any type of dispute. Eventually the 30 days elapsed and I didn't hear from them, so.... First Week of July, 2023 I received a second letter from the collection agency. They said they want a letter of intent to pay or a payment plan setup. They can report this to the credit agency at any time. July 8th, 2023 I called my insurance and made sure to speak with a supervisor. I followed up to find out the resolution, they said the ambulance service would not negotiate and that I had to pay the balance and they marked my claim/despite with their insurance company as "Resolved". It would remain in collections. She said that she would open one more dispute internally to see what more could be done. She said it would be 2-3 day and I'd be notified. I have not gotten an update yet. July 14th, 2028 I spoke to my insurance again and they said that the negotiation that I opened with the supervisor is still on-going. Where should I start?

Hello, I'm in bit of an issue where a medical bill was fully paid, but the account is in collections. In an imperfect sequence of events, the insurance company briefly withdrew a previous payment and re-payed the provider. Meanwhile, the provider sent me the bill, went bankrupt and they are not reachable. Looks like they sold the debt to the CA and CA wants the money that was fully paid. I have the Explanation of Benefits and proof of the original payment. Feb 2019 to April 2019 - Service Provided by an in-network medical service provider for my child May 2019 - Co-pay fully paid. Insurance fully paid. Account settled. Sep 2020 - Insurance withdrew the payment (mistake). Provider sends me the bill for around $1,200. I disputed it. Feb 2021 - Provider sends the account to the collection agency $1,200. CA sends me the letter. Mar 2021 - Provider closes the door. Unable to reach the provider. Apr 2021 - I sent the DV letter (after 30 days - on 39th day as I was traveling), used WhyChat DV letter. I got a vague response that I owe the money. Apr 2021 - Insurance re-payed the provider in full. They sent me the Explanation of Benefits which shows the account is fully settled. Apr 2021 - Certified mail to the provider returns back (with HIPAA language), as the provider closes the door. Phone calls or emails not returned. Sep 2021 - CA keeps sending emails. Contacted the Insurance company. The Insurance company contacted the CA by phone and told them the account was settled. CA informs the insurance agent that it will contact the service provider and sort it out. Sep 2021 - CA reports to CRA. Credit scores drop. Sep 2021 - Online dispute raised with CRA with full proof of payment. However, all disputes closed that the debt is valid. Oct 2021 - CA sends me the letter I still owe $1,200 + interest. I have the payment proof (insurance payment + co-pay that was paid in 2019). Can I please get your advise? Would this constitute as an insurance fraud? Should I send the proof of payment to the CA? Thank you so much. Appreciate it.

I’m newly separated and I’m trying to re-establish my credit and financial independence. There are 4 collections on my credit report that my husband was responsible for when we were together in 2020. We both had extensive blood work done by a lab of which he was paying. We separated and he has not been paying so it went to collections and showed up on my report. I just disputed them online a few days ago and am waiting to see if they are removed. It has my name and not his. Is it even conceivable they will be deleted? My score is in the 500 range right now. I don’t have much credit but want to repair and build.

Hi all I have a medical/doctors bill for $1,400.00 from April 2019 that is showing only on my Experian Credit Report. The "Account Name" is showing as a CA. The "Original Creditor" is showing as the doctor. I've followed @Why Chat's guide; opted out, checked addresses, and sent the pre HIPAA Dispute Letter to the reporting CRA - I'm showing it was received on 4/16/2021. So far I've received nothing from the CRA - I know it's a bit early. Here is where I could use some advice/guidance: While the OC bill is valid it is incorrect. I was very sick at the time of service in question, my doctor was on vacation so he had me go in and see his office mate a doctor who does not accept insurance. I distinctly remember said doctor kindly saying he would only charge me $200.00 for the visit. Unfortunately all I have is that verbal agreement - b/c of my health at the time I left the office without collecting any paperwork or making a payment. 1. I've tried calling the OC's billing department and explaining this but there was nothing they could do other than refer me to the CA. 2. I also emailed the doctor reminding him of our verbal agreement - I've yet to hear back from him. 3. The CA called today, I answered. I told them the amount I owe is $200 not $1400 and that I would take it up with the doctor. Any further action or steps in the HIPAA process I can take now? - I really need to get this off my credit report - It's tanking my score and we are looking to lease a car ASAP. Would I be foolish to dispute online with Experian? - I assume the answer is yes. Would be grateful for any and all advise/guidance. Thanks in advance!

I have 2 medical collections for 2 different providers being reported to Experian and TransUnion by the same CA and a 3rd collection with Equifax with a different CA. I started the HIPAA dispute programs for all them with these results: TransUnion: both items were deleted Experian: both items were verified with a note to contact the CA for more info Equifax: No Response at all and no deletion I started the HIPAA dispute program for the Experian collections but skipped the 2nd step of Medical DV to the CA by mistake. Instead, I sent money order payments to both the OC's using the HIPAA letter and have copies of the deposited and canceled money orders from my bank. The collections have not been deleted and I haven't receive a response from the OC's at all. Knowing the I missed the DV step with the CA, what should I do now to continue the process for getting the Experian entries deleted? For the Equifax entry with no response, do I just start over again? Thank you!

Hello, I received a Collection letter in the mail today. I called and the woman on the phone stated can you pay a lower payment and I said yes. I know this was a mistake. But she said she will check with her manager and call me back. The collections is from a 2017 hospital bill. But there is nothing on my credit from this agency or the hospital. My questions are do I pay this debt that is not on my credit? If I do pay is will the company report to the credit bureaus? Or do I send a validation letter? I’m leaning towards not paying it but I don’t know if it will go on my credit even though it has not in 3 years? Any advice would help. Thank you!!

I tried to schedule an appointment with my doctor the other day, I was informed I have a past due bill that was sent to collections in 2014. This bill has never shown up on my credit. I called today and asked they send me an itemized bill, I’m not sure if this debt valid or not. I had insurance in 2014, I wonder if there was a misstep with the doctor’s office sending the bill to insurance company then contacting me for the remaining payment. I do not want to take the chance of paying on something (if it’s not valid) then it shows up on my credit. Should I follow this path (if it’s valid) of paying the debt with a bank check or money order with an endorsement on the back "for deposit only to the account of (name of Dr.) using https://whychat.me/hipltr.html insert "a?" Should I contact my insurance company from 2014 to see what was paid and what was not? Not sure how to proceed since I haven’t been contacted and this is not on my credit. I've used WhyChat's method before but not in a situation like this.

I'm new to this group, but I've been doing some reading here for a few days. I currently have medical collections accounts that amount to a little over 5k. It's truly RUINING my credit, as I have nothing else on my report besides a car loan. I've read the tutorial left by whychat and even went over the various instructions left with good instructions. I'm wondering however, how up to date are these practices? I've done a lot of reading on various sites. Some say that trying to fight a medical debt by claiming HIPAA violations is a major waste of time, and can sometimes backfire on you in terms of negotiating power when trying to settle for a lower rate. At this point though, I'm willing to give anything that's proven a try. I have a few accounts that I never received a bill for originally, and others that are just small amounts that could be paid outright. I'm also curious if processes like this work for walk-in clinics like Patient-First/Urgent Care Although they aren't considered a hospital, they are considered an emergency room in a sense. So does this mean that they also have to comply with Section 501(r) of the Affordable Care Act? I am curious about another thing as well. I had an account with a provider, they sent me a bill originally for $25. I recklessly forgot to pay it and it went to collections. However, once it got to collections I saw that an addition fee of $75 had been added to the account. There was no explanation as to why. When I called the original service provider, they told me that they charged a fee because it was sent to collections. It this legally allowed? Can they decide to charge addition fees or interest for accounts that are outstanding?

Hello Whychat thank you very much for sharing; and I've been reading through your program guide for quite some time now, and I would like to think that I've understood the steps and how the process works. However, I got confused and not sure what the next step should be. - I sent the Initial dispute letter for 5 medical accounts. - Experian: 2 Accounts deleted, and 3 were verified as Accurate - Equifax: All Deleted -Transunion: 1 Deleted and 4 are still in the collection section but moved to a sub-section with status closed, and they all still have balance. The Remarks on all of them: "Account information disputed by the consumer, meets FCRA requirements." - I didn't receive anything from the collection agency I'm not sure what to do next as I have different results. I understand that If the accounts are verified, AND I received NOTHING from the reporting CA, I need to send the reporting CA the "MEDICAL DISPUTE VALIDATION LETTER" I want to confirm this is my next step. I appreciate any feedback.

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/12/22/949047358/congress-acts-to-spare-consumers-from-costly-surprise-medical-bills Starting in 2022, when the law goes into effect, consumers won't get balance bills when they seek emergency care, when they are transported by an air ambulance, or when they receive nonemergency care at an in-network hospital but are unknowingly treated by an out-of-network physician or laboratory. Patients will pay only the deductibles and copayment amounts that they would under the in-network terms of their insurance plans.

"A California law that took effect Jan. 1 aims to protect consumers from such enormous bills for out-of-network air ambulance services. The measure limits what consumers owe if they’re transported by an air ambulance that’s not part of their insurance network to the amount that they’d be charged if they used an in-network provider. The health plan and the air ambulance provider must then work out payment between themselves. But the new law won’t protect consumers like Hoechlin, whose health plan isn’t regulated by the state. Matt’s employer pays its workers’ medical claims directly rather than buying state-regulated insurance, a common arrangement called “self-funding.” Self-funded plans are regulated by the federal government and generally not subject to state health insurance laws. In this regard, the new air ambulance law is like laws in California and other states that protect consumers from surprise medical bills: They don’t apply to residents in federally regulated health plans. Those plans cover about two-thirds of people who get insurance through their jobs nationwide." ~ California Healthcare With an EPO (self funded) insurance plan, balance billing may result for less extravagant but routine procedures such as anesthesiologists, lab work, etc. Even if you are referred to a in-network facility. It happens when say, the anesthesiologist who is out of network, is working in the in-network facility and the EPO doesn't cover the charges. The patient is billed separately and on the hook for the full amount of the out of network physician. HMO's are protected from balance billing CA. https://californiahealthline.org/news/loopholes-limit-new-california-law-to-guard-against-lofty-air-ambulance-bills/

I am working on cleaning up a few items on my credit reports and not sure which way to start. There are two Paid Collection medical bills showing on my reports, which is hurting my ability to rebuild my credit after divorce. They both are being reported by the same medical collection agency that is a local company where I live. They are both old, but still have a couple years to fall off my reports. One for $73 has a delinquency date of 3/2015, assigned to collections 1/2016, paid in full 7/2016. Last reported to credit bureaus on 6/2017, The other one for $164 has a delinquency date of 5/27/15, assigned to collections 10/2016, paid in full 12/2016 and was last reported on May 18, 2020. Should I call them and request a goodwill adjustment to have them remove the reporting, write a goodwill letter, or move to the HIPAA letter? I also have one account in collection status that I disagree with. I had disputed it via the credit bureaus, but only got a notation in the credit reports that the debt was conforming, which I am sure means they contacted the collector and they said I owed the debt. This is a credit card debt that appears to be sold to a collection agency. The debt amount is $370, delinquency date 12/2018, turned to collection 6/2019. I am not even sure what this is, but may just be continual late fee charges on account I though was closed. Where should I start with this one? Pay for delete or validation letter? I made the mistake of ignoring my credit report after divorce in 2016 and have a thin file, but these three things are seriously hurting my ability to get a credit card acceptance. I don't want to keep having hard credit pulls for applications when I know these items are a big reason why I am being turned down. Thanks for letting me tell my story. Lola2020

Anyone have experience pulling medical collections back from the credit agency and start a payment plan with your HC provider? Or negotiating with a HC provider for items already in collections and paying the HC a negotiated monthly amount or a one time negotiated payment then doing WhyChats system if the items are not removed from collections? The reason I ask is I have over 9 open accounts with Armada Corp (CA) totally over $15,000 and I am looking for the most efficient way to get this removed from my credit report. Thanks, BFee

Even when you win you lose https://www.propublica.org/article/why-your-health-insurer-does-not-care-about-your-big-bills

Hello, everyone. For the past week or so, I've been reading up on ways to deal with a CA that recently showed up on my credit report. I stumbled upon Why Chat's HIPAA program, read through it, and while it's quite clear, I just want to make sure it is the right thing for me. I'd also like to use it to ask potential follow up questions along the process. It showed up on my credit report June 28th, with a Date of First Delinquency of February 20th, 2017. At the moment, it only shows up on Equifax and Experian. It's from a hospital visit in California, and I am from and currently live in Arizona, and while I did have medicaid at the time, I was told that it would probably not cover it, but they'd let me go through with it anyway. I started to get bills from the Riverside County Medical department, but I initially ignored them, as I was an unemployed college student, and my mom advised me it wouldn't matter anyway; The bill was for $991. I'm now 23, and have been working hard on my credit score, this is the only blemish on my record, and I would love to get rid of it completely. I have a few old addresses on my credit report, but they're all from years before this account, and I've lived at my current address for around 11 years now. Do I still have to go through the deletion process for those other addresses? Other than that, I'm thinking my first step would be to fill out and send the "Initial HIPAA Dispute Letter" to the two CRAs that show the collection, is this correct? Thanks in advance for any help!

After lurking in the shadows for a little while now, I decided I wanted to try why chat's guidebook on medical collections but felt really noobish once I didnt understand how to appropriately send priority mail. It says send a letter to the CRA with the proof of delivery number. Whats the delivery number? Is it on the forms Im getting from the post office? Also, on the priority mail instructions, It says to affix the copy to the top of the hard copy of the letter. Does that mean staple it on the top so I dont lose it? I promise you I am not as noobish as I seem. I guess I am kind of nervous? Thanks

In 2017 at my annual exam there was some question as to whether or not my insurance would pay Planned Parenthood, but they just took my copay. The next year I asked to make sure they were getting paid and they said don't worry about it unless you get a bill from us. I never did. I moved in July of 2019 and they must have finally sent a bill to my old address, but it was never forwarded to me. It showed up as a collection on my credit reports this month and I went to the clinic and paid them directly and got a statement with a zero balance. But it has been a long. long time since I've had to deal with collections on my report. I thought as long as you paid the original creditor you could get a collection removed, but now that I'm looking up procedures I'm super confused as to where to start. A few questions: Medical debt is supposedly handled differently, but this looks like any other financial transaction and the debt is listed as "loan amount" on my Experian report. Does this matter in how I dispute it? The collection agency has a different account number listed from my medical statement and was clearly sending correspondence to my old address, does that matter? The collection agency has added $5 to the balance owed, so can they claim I am not paid in full? I know under certain circumstances it's not a good idea to dispute online, is this one of them? I looked at the WhyChat info and I'm not sure how to proceed because this is my debt, but a lot of the information is wrong. Can someone please tell me where to start? I really want this removed and not just listed as paid. Thanks! H

Hope for the future; https://www.miamiherald.com/news/health-care/article239075338.html The ruling by U.S. District Judge Rodolfo Ruiz, who was appointed by President Donald Trump in May 2018, could weaken one of the most common defenses debt collectors use in federal court: that they were simply relying on the information a medical provider gave them and therefore aren’t responsible for sending an erroneous collection notice. In his order, Judge Ruiz said the debt collector was “not entitled to simply rely on the presumption that all debts referred by the medical center are validly due and owing.” The decision is currently being appealed to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta.

I have a medical collection on my TU account only from OAC for $537.00. The debt was from a Xray visit in may of 2014. Collection was placed 1-2015 and continues to update. All other bills at that time were paid by American Family who the was apparently reimbursed by the commercial insurance policy of the company whose truck driver hit me from behind. They paid all phys therapy, doctor visits, etc during that time. I do know for absolute certainty that I gave them my AmFam card prior to treatment just as I did for all treatment. What is the best way of dealing with this? Thank you.

I paid the OC before finding this program. The CA updated the collection on TU to "Pay Status: >Account Paid in Full; was a Collection<" The website for the CA states all of their collection programs are "designed to be consumer conscious and are HIPPA and FDCPA compliant." My question is will this will this program still work for them?

Hi WhyChat, I have a question about where the follow up letter to the OC is sent (with letter to the CRA as an enclosure) after confirmation of the bank money order deposit. The possible choices are the OC Legal department, the OC HIPAA Compliance Office or both. Under the section below the instructions state Legal dept; INSTRUCTIONS FOR FOLLOW UP TO "HIPAA" LETTER TO ORIGINAL CREDITOR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER 3- Send a copy of the follow up letter to the OC (legal dept) with the cover letter,(follows letter to CRA) and above the followup letter the instructions state HIPAA Compliance dept; (see below) (Send a copy to the HIPAA Compliance Dept. of the OC health provider(CMRR) with the following cover letter) Could you direct me to which is correct? Thanks, willjr20

The first dunning letter is for an alleged old medical bill for $900 Collection Agency is Dynamic Recovery Solutions. They give me three payment options but down on the bottom it says they cannot sue me for this debt nor report it to my credit reports. How should i handle this one? Just ignore them? The second one is not a medical collection but from the same CA. It's for an old cell phone bill for 200. Again down at the bottom it says they cannot sue me for this debt but they can report it to my reports. I have a feeling this comes from filling a complaint with the BBB against Jefferson Capital Systems last week. I filed on the 16th and these letters are dated for the 15th. Coincidence? Just an fyi the phone bill lists JCS as the "current creditor". May i also add that after complaning to the BBB then disputing JCS to the bureaus they did remove JCS from all 3CRA's. How should i proceed? Thoughts

Hi, I’m new here and could use some help. Sorry in advance for the extra long post. In 2014 I was in an auto accident and ended up with five herniated discs in my neck. This led to migraines that landed me in the ER six times that year. I had medical insurance with a maximum out of pocket of $500 for the year. All six ER visits were to the same ER facility. Somehow they messed up the billing on three of the visits. I received bills from the hospital for the visits and the amounts not only exceeded my copay, but they exceeded my out of pocket maximum. The hospital was an in-network facility. The EOBs that I received from the insurance company said that the provider had not properly billed for the services performed. I called the hospital’s billing department. I was told that they were refilling the insurance and if there was an issue that I’d receive information in the mail. They sent me nothing. As it turns out, I ended up in collections for all three visits. I had a total of six collection accounts - three for the hospital and three for the doctors association. I was livid when I found out (I was trying to finance a new car and the dealership showed my the collection accounts). So I called the hospital billing department and sternly voiced my displeasure. I even threatened legal action. They said they’d look into it and get it handled. The hospital actually followed through and removed their three collections from all three of my credit reports. Unfortunately, the doctor’s association billing department wasn’t as easy to deal with. They contend that I owe them close to $2000. I explained the limits of my insurance policy and that the EOBs I had received showed that they had not properly billed the insurance. Their response was basically “too bad.” They said that I could pay them the full amount that they claim is due and that they’d report the collection as paid. I told them that this is ridiculous and that I want it removed. Once again, too bad. So I called the collection agency and explained the situation. I was told that it’s between me and the original creditor. A couple months ago the collections were completely removed from my Equifax report. I’m not sure why, but fine by me. But the collections were still listed on TransUnion and Experian. I initiated disputes with those credit bureaus. My disputes were all denied. But for some odd reason one of the collections now shows as closed (still with a balance) on TransUnion. At at this point, even if the doctor’s association were to try and resubmit the claims (which they’ve said they won’t do) they can’t. The insurance company I had in 2014 no longer operates in Florida. There isn’t even a phone number to contact them. I need to apply for auto financing again soon, and I need this cleared up first. I have no other collection accounts and no delinquencies or late payments. The three remaining collection accounts are the only negative information on my credit reports. So, what are my options? How do I get these collections removed/deleted? Thanks in advance, Daniel

I have a TL on my TU and Exp reports (still waiting on Equifax) from Wakefield & Associates. Under "Loan Types" they are listed as "Collection Agency/Attorney. I have went to their website and read each of their "exec team's bios." No where do I see any mention of any of them being an attorney. I have disputed this with TU & Exp in writing, by certified mail and not on-line, which both received on Thursday, 12/06/18, because I honestly do not who the OC is. I guess my question is, when the disputes come back as verified, as I'm guessing they will, what are my options considering all the other info indicates it is still within the SOL. I am assuming I will begin to get letters or phone calls from them. But.... and this is the interesting part What is really interesting is the TL also says "Acct Info Disputed by Consumer; <Placed for Collections> I have not disputed anything on my credit reports since some time in 2014 (?). "Placed for collections: 04/29/18" Date Item to be Removed: 04/2024 (which indicates an original date of sometime in 2017) ????? (Confused? I am) And the balance seems to be increasing over time a few dollars per month. Original Creditor: Medical Any help/advice/opinions will be greatly appreciated (I may not be able to get back here immediately to respond to anyone but will return soon). Thanks in advance. You don't really have to waste your time reading their bios but I am pasting them below anyway. (No law degrees) page address: https://www.wakeassoc.com/management/ Matt Laws Pres & CEO: Mr. Laws has an undergraduate degree in computer science and an MBA from the University of Dallas. COO: Mr. Boettcher is active in the legislative arena locally and nationally with ACA International and Associated Collection Agencies, Inc. Mr. Boettcher also has extensive experience in the acquisition and management of defaulted consumer debt portfolios. CFO: He holds a B.S. Degree in Business from the University of Tennessee and has over 30 years of diversified business experience in both public practice and industry, including 21 years with RRC Wakefield. Chief Relationship Officer: He holds a B.S. Degree in Finance from the University of Tennessee, is a member of the International Fellowship of Certified Collection Executives, Healthcare Financial Management Association, University Sertoma Club, and is a member of ACA’s Future Leaders. Prior to the RRC Wakefield merger, Gregg served in the dual role of President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of RRC. Chief Business Development Officer: Tyler is an acknowledged expert in several areas of medical collections including ambulance, surgical centers, hospitals, and radiology. Mr. Marsh has assumed the responsibility of growing and managing the relationships with our clients, with great success. Chief Compliance Officer: (blah blah blah... Debra holds an MA in Organizational Management from the University of Phoenix and a BA in English and Secondary Education from Iowa State University. Debra is also a Professional Collection Specialist(ACA), a Trainer Specialist, and holds ACA’s Scholar and Fellow Degrees in Collection Business Management. In 2009, Debra earned ACA International’s Credit and Collection Compliance Officer Designation. Director of IT: Kevan holds degrees undergraduate degrees in mathematics and history. Again, NO ATTORNEYS!!