HIPAA success at last!!

[Anonymous]

Have to share this...

My very last medical collection was my most recent. It was for $50 for a co-pay I thought was paid, paid it a month after it hit the credit report, which was the first time I'd pulled my reports in years. The pre-HIPAA letter cleared it from both TU and EQ but not EX.

I continued wih the process as written on this forum. I tried every method . I wrote probably 5 letters CMRRR to the HIPAA compliance guy, who sent me long nasty letters  saying I had no understanding of the law and no right to insist he remove the files from the CA. I got similar nasty letter from the attorney/CA.

I got help from sidewinder, fused and HappyDays and kept plugging along. I finally wrote the courtesy letter about making a HIPAA complaint, gave them 10 days to remove it, called after 8 and 9 days saying I had it all filled outto send it, but didn't want to make tons of trouble for him over a $50 collection.On day 10, he called and left me a message saying he'd had the files expunged.

A few days later I called the CA, and the customer rep couldn't find any record of the file. Thought it was over. Waited 30 days thinking it would update. Nope. Tried to dispute online. Nothing. Faxed a dispute in. Nothing. Called and found out that EX evidently wouldn't let me file another dispute without additional information.

So I called the HIPAA guy again and asked for something in writing. He was livid and said he wouldn't send me another darned thing.  I called the CA to try to get a letter. The attorney himself called me back and said he would personally verify that account for the full 7 years, that I was using HIPAA to get out of something unrelated, I was disingenuous, blah blah blah. 

Finally I called EX, gave them the name of the customer rep who couldn't find my file in their system and the phone number (that was my new info) and they opened a new dispute.Yesterday they finished the dispute and FINALLY....

DELETED.  Boo friggin' yah, nasty CA attorney!

[fused]

Wow!!!!!!!! What a PITA, but you did win. I have only seen one person fail once the courtesy letter goes out. Congrats, its been a long road for you.

[Anonymous]

Just as a point of curiosity, how long did the process take from start to finish and did you eventually pay the OC as described in the process?  Congratulations on your deletions that is awesome. dP

[fused]

Here's a post to answer your question. Keep in mind that likewise had a lot of collections, so naturally it took longer.

Success!

[Anonymous]

Thanks! I had a number of fairly hefty unpaid collections simply disappear into the ether, actually. Most were for my kids, whose dad is legally responsible for all uninsured medical debt, but I'm the one who takes them in, so it's usually in my name. I was prepared to pay them if necessary though. 

The one in question was paid. I pulled my credit for the first time in years August 21. I immediately called as many as I could and paid them. While I was looking around for some of those names, I came upon this forum. I then sent out DVs and pre-HIPAAs by about Aug 29. Some took 30 days, some took the next step or two. That last one, for Overton Russell and Doerr out of Clifton Park NY was  really tough. They sure did spend a lot of time and energy on trying to keep it on!  For $50! I'd have understood more if it were more serious.

Sometimes I think it's just a big power play for these guys. I want to tell them they didn't get enough hugs as children or something. 

I have a few more left, 2 easy medicals, but they have to get paid, and 1 sticky, which I think I finally might get done... talked to an actual open-minded person at Equifax who was willing to acknowledge the contradictory info the utility keeps verifying... can't possibly be true. I said they've verified it at least twice without fixing it, so as per FCRA, it's got to go.

Here's hoping!!