Medical bill: will they report it?

[ruhroh]

Hello,

I've been sitting on a medical bill for ~$85 for ~6 months now. I've been meaning to call them to figure out if they sent the wrong codes to my insurance company, since I think my insurance should have covered it. Anyway, I was (really) lazy and never called.

I just got a letter from a collections agency. Damn! I immediately paid it (it's for $73). They say they won't report it to the credit bureaus for 30 days. But is it likely that the clinic has already reported it?

If so, should I grovel and beg and plead for them to remove it? I don't really have a good excuse

Thanks in advance for any advice!

[chane]

Pull all 3 of your credit reports to see if they're reporting it, then take it from there. You may also want to check out a credit monitoring service which will alert you when new items are added to your credit report among many other things.

[ruhroh]

Thanks Chane!

So I should not call the clinic and talk to them yet? And should I check my three reports now, or wait some number of days? (Actually, I guess if I just sign up for TrueCredit right now, I can get all three of them as well as the ongoing alerts... probably the best option huh?)

[chane]

Yea, I think it would be a waste of time to talk to them if they are not reporting it. In fact, I probably wouldn't contact them even if they were. I would start by disputing with the CRAs.

[ruhroh]

Ah, interesting. Is there somewhere I can read about "how to dispute?" This may sound like a stupid question, but I don't see what I can dispute when the facts are pretty clear.

Second: I got a confirmation from the CA website when I paid. Is it worthwhile to call them and confirm that the account is closed? Or should I not be talking to them on the phone at all?

Thanks again,
RR

[chane]

You shouldn't communicate with the CAs at all, unless it's in writing and you know exactly what you're doing.

Basic Step by Step Beginner's Guide to Credit Repair