topic Re: ADVICE ON OLD MEDICAL COLLECTION in Rebuilding Your Credit

ADVICE ON OLD MEDICAL COLLECTION

Anonymous — Wed, 07 Apr 2021 20:42:07 GMT

In my continuing saga to achieve 8 tiny points on my mid score so USDA can send to underwriting for my brand new build that is nearly complete, I have tried several avenues. Latest thing I came up with.

My mid score for EQ is 632..i need 640...six months ago it was 667, loan officer cannot find any apparent reason for this but that's another story. Scores have not moved since the first soft pull in January despite having a collection AND charge off removed from Equifax

I have 3 (1 paid) medical collections left on Equifax report, all from Keybridge. One was from an ER physicians group and I paid this back in January before I researched and found out that paying collections don't do squat for you. So KEYBRIDGE WILL NOT PAY FOR DELETE. So I got the bright idea to contact anyone I could find upper management who works for the ER group, asking for goodwill deletion, for them to recall it from Keybridge, figured was long shot. Got an answer back today from the chief financial officer telling me to give his team a couple days to look at it and he will get back with me. Sounded nice, encouraging, but not getting my hopes up.

The other two collections, also from keybridge are for an ortho group. One is from 2014 and one from 2015, both sent to collection 5/2015. I called the OC, the ortho group and talked to billing, got some info on dates, amounts, etc., basically wanted to see what they had. Found out it was a billing service, wasn't done in house any longer. They really didn't have much info on the older one other than date of service. Info seemed scanty on both. Insurance should have paid these. I asked if I could pay them and have it recalled and they said no it was too old and that I would have to deal with Keybridge. Both of these are still reporting as of last month. MY QUESTION: Would it be worth my time to send any kind of verification request letter to Keybridge in the hopes that these are so old they won't have proper documentation? And if so, what must they be able to give me to validate? Also, since they are still reporting monthly, will messing with it cause me any further dings to credit?

Re: ADVICE ON OLD MEDICAL COLLECTION

gdale6 — Wed, 07 Apr 2021 21:52:04 GMT

If you want them removed validation isnt going to get it done, that route is only useful in the first 30 days of them receiving the collection.

Medical collections are some of the easiest to get removed from your CRs, here are the steps that you should follow to address them:

1. Call the OC and see if insurance can be billed, (or-rebilled), collections ultimately paid by insurance get removed per new rules that came from CRAs settlement with 22 state AGs. If not then
2. see if you qualify for Charity Care, if not then
3. ask that they recall the collection in exchange for full payment
4. Send the reporting CA a PFD offer
5. Google the HIPAA Process and contact its creator for help, this process cannot be discussed in any forum of myFico.

Re: ADVICE ON OLD MEDICAL COLLECTION

jadeaznangel — Thu, 08 Apr 2021 07:07:26 GMT

@gdale6 wrote:
If you want them removed validation isnt going to get it done, that route is only useful in the first 30 days of them receiving the collection.

Medical collections are some of the easiest to get removed from your CRs, here are the steps that you should follow to address them:

1. Call the OC and see if insurance can be billed, (or-rebilled), collections ultimately paid by insurance get removed per new rules that came from CRAs settlement with 22 state AGs. If not then
2. see if you qualify for Charity Care, if not then
3. ask that they recall the collection in exchange for full payment
4. Send the reporting CA a PFD offer
5. Google the HIPAA Process and contact its creator for help, this process cannot be discussed in any forum of myFico.

Could you elaborate on medical collections that have been paid by insurance? I have a couple of medical collection accounts that are apparently accumulated "copays" or maybe deductibles. How recent is this, by the way? Thank you so much for this information. It's super helpful.

Re: ADVICE ON OLD MEDICAL COLLECTION

gdale6 — Thu, 08 Apr 2021 15:44:10 GMT

@jadeaznangel wrote:
@gdale6 wrote:

Could you elaborate on medical collections that have been paid by insurance? I have a couple of medical collection accounts that are apparently accumulated "copays" or maybe deductibles. How recent is this, by the way? Thank you so much for this information. It's super helpful.

Here is an article on it. If they are copays that you have to pay then you want to go through some of the steps that I have already posted to get them removed.

https://money.com/new-rule-medical-bills-credit-reports/

Re: ADVICE ON OLD MEDICAL COLLECTION

Anonymous — Thu, 08 Apr 2021 19:39:45 GMT

I didn't mean validation within the first 30 days etc. I meant to dispute it with them, especially since I don't remember ever seeing this doctor, with the hopes that they do not have the proper documentation and will have to remove it. I already tried to see if insurance could be rebilled...no....charity...no...recall no they said it was too old.........Keybridge will not do PFD and I don't have time for the HIPAA thing...I could down the road, but like I said I need 8 points here pretty quick as this builder is not going to "HOLD" the house for very long.

Re: ADVICE ON OLD MEDICAL COLLECTION

gdale6 — Thu, 08 Apr 2021 23:04:26 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
I didn't mean validation within the first 30 days etc. I meant to dispute it with them, especially since I don't remember ever seeing this doctor, with the hopes that they do not have the proper documentation and will have to remove it. I already tried to see if insurance could be rebilled...no....charity...no...recall no they said it was too old.........Keybridge will not do PFD and I don't have time for the HIPAA thing...I could down the road, but like I said I need 8 points here pretty quick as this builder is not going to "HOLD" the house for very long.

If you believe it to not be yours then yes you can dispute it with the CRAs just know if it hasnt updated in awhile and it comes back verified its going to cost you some Fico points. If its not yours then you could go on to use the laws afforded you in the FCRA on ID Theft to have it excluded from your CRs.

http://ficoforums.myfico.com/t5/General-Credit-Topics/Victim-of-Identity-Theft-What-To-Do-to-Protect-Yourself/td-p/2059499

Re: ADVICE ON OLD MEDICAL COLLECTION

800goal800 — Thu, 23 Sep 2021 20:13:34 GMT

@gdale6

Im trying to find clarification on what the 180 days refers to. Some items I have read imply it begins when the CA gets. I've also read where the CA must mention a specific date the account would be reported.

Re: ADVICE ON OLD MEDICAL COLLECTION

gdale6 — Thu, 23 Sep 2021 23:43:30 GMT

@800goal800 wrote:
@gdale6
Im trying to find clarification on what the 180 days refers to. Some items I have read imply it begins when the CA gets. I've also read where the CA must mention a specific date the account would be reported.

If you are talking about they cannot report it for 180 days, its calculated from the date of billing not date of when a CA gets it. If insurance ends up paying even later than 180 days it must then be removed as the agreement calls for this too.

Re: ADVICE ON OLD MEDICAL COLLECTION

800goal800 — Thu, 23 Sep 2021 23:46:58 GMT

@gdale6Thanks. Do you know where I can find the official rule/act ?

Re: ADVICE ON OLD MEDICAL COLLECTION

gdale6 — Thu, 23 Sep 2021 23:50:39 GMT

@800goal800 wrote:
@gdale6Thanks. Do you know where I can find the official rule/act ?

https://ag.ny.gov/pdfs/CRA%20Agreement%20Fully%20Executed%203.8.15.pdf

Re: ADVICE ON OLD MEDICAL COLLECTION

800goal800 — Fri, 24 Sep 2021 00:11:50 GMT

@gdale6 Thank you. I came across the below. Is this anything ?

Shown Here:
Introduced in House (05/15/2015)

Medical Debt Act of 2015

This bill amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to prohibit a consumer reporting agency from making any consumer report containing information related to: (1) a medical debt (arising from the receipt of medical services, products, or devises) if the date on which the debt was placed for collection, charged to profit or loss, or any similar action antedates the report by less than 180 days, or (2) a fully paid or settled medical debt that had been characterized as delinquent, charged off, or in collection which, from the date of payment or settlement, antedates the report by more than 45 days.

The bill also amends the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act to require a debt collector, before informing a consumer reporting agency regarding a medical debt, to notify the consumer in writing that: (1) the debt collector could report the debt to a consumer reporting agency 180 days after the notification is sent, specifying the precise end date of the period; (2) the debt will not be reported if it is settled or paid during the 180-day period; and (3) the consumer may, during the 180-day period, either communicate with an insurance company to determine coverage for the debt or apply for financial assistance.

The debt collector may not communicate with or report any information to a consumer reporting agency concerning such a debt during the 180-day period.

Re: ADVICE ON OLD MEDICAL COLLECTION

gdale6 — Fri, 24 Sep 2021 16:30:25 GMT

@800goal800 wrote:
@gdale6 Thank you. I came across the below. Is this anything ?
Shown Here:
Introduced in House (05/15/2015)
Medical Debt Act of 2015
This bill amends the Fair Credit Reporting Act to prohibit a consumer reporting agency from making any consumer report containing information related to: (1) a medical debt (arising from the receipt of medical services, products, or devises) if the date on which the debt was placed for collection, charged to profit or loss, or any similar action antedates the report by less than 180 days, or (2) a fully paid or settled medical debt that had been characterized as delinquent, charged off, or in collection which, from the date of payment or settlement, antedates the report by more than 45 days.
The bill also amends the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act to require a debt collector, before informing a consumer reporting agency regarding a medical debt, to notify the consumer in writing that: (1) the debt collector could report the debt to a consumer reporting agency 180 days after the notification is sent, specifying the precise end date of the period; (2) the debt will not be reported if it is settled or paid during the 180-day period; and (3) the consumer may, during the 180-day period, either communicate with an insurance company to determine coverage for the debt or apply for financial assistance.
The debt collector may not communicate with or report any information to a consumer reporting agency concerning such a debt during the 180-day period.

That bill did not receive a vote but the settlement with 22 states AGs actually covers everyone as far as the 180 day wait before a medical debt can be reported

Re: ADVICE ON OLD MEDICAL COLLECTION

800goal800 — Fri, 24 Sep 2021 16:42:12 GMT

It was probably written differently, but doesn't the below imply that the date placed needs to be greater than 180 days before reporting ?

"if the date on which the debt was placed for collection, charged to profit or loss, or any similar action antedates the report by less than 180 days "