Hello, I am curious if medical expenses affect your credit score and how they affect them. My ex was responsible for a hospital bill, he signed off to pay it and now the collections agencies are after me to pay the bill. There is another debt from a collection agency that resulted from a hospital visit. Did I say I will never again be put in the hospital and that I can not stand doctors! Anyway, if anyone knows, let me know. Thanks!
2007-07-16 02:09:51 · 7 answers · asked by Luv4Horses123 2 in Business & Finance ➔ Credit
If you were the patient they may be able to collect from you, he may have just agreed to pay if you didn't.
Your credit will suffer if you are 30 days late and suffer worse the later you are.
2007-07-16 02:53:57 · answer #1 · answered by shipwreck 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Medical bills can ABSOLUTELY ruin your credit score. They look just as bad as any other bill that has been sent to collections. The bad mark will remain on your credit report for 7 years if you do nothing. Lots of people go to hospitals for minor things but you should only go in a real emergency because your bills rack up really fast there - compared to going to a normal doctor. Plus they sometimes expect you to pay everything up front, a normal practitioner will let you negotiate more.
If the bills aren't for you then you can ask for a debt validation from the three credit reporting agencies - TransUnion, Experian, and Equifax. They are obligated to make sure the debt is valid, if it isn't then it has to be removed from your credit report.
If they say the debit is valid, then my advice is to call the hospital and talk to them. Some will take the debt back from collections and if they agree to that, then the collections notice will have to come off your credit report because the collection agency no is collecting for it. If they don't do that, you'll have to write to the collections agencies and try and get a pay for delete - say you'll pay in full if they remove it from your report. You won't have much luck trying to settle for less than what you owe - most collections won't agree to that unless the debt is nearing the 7 year mark...
Good luck, I've been through this and it SUCKS!
2007-07-16 04:13:31 · answer #2 · answered by Miss Alison 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
1st of all you cannot guarantee 100% you will NEVER go back in the hospital...you could be in a car accident or whatever and you would not have planned it.
2nd because you and your ex were married at the time you are responsible for the bill too. Medical bills themselves do not wind up on your credit report. Only the collections company can wind up on your credit report. My best suggestion to you would be to call and settel with them for a lower amount than what you owe. Before your credit gets really trashed.
2007-07-16 03:14:39 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Unpaid medical expenses are treated as any other unpaid debt, so yes, they can.
If your EX is a boyfriend, the slimey collection agency can't do anything to you, and it won't hurt your credit. If he's a husband, and you're in a community property state, yes, you can be held responsible for it.
Also, it sort of sounds like the charges were for YOU. In which case, assuming you're an adult, YOU are ultimately responsible for medical charges. Him signing "responsibility" for them won't absolve you of YOUR part of the responsibility. If it's an informal document, the collection agency can't even collect from him, unless you take him to court and sue him for nonpayment, and get a judgement.
Until a judge says you're off the hook, you aren't. At least for your own medical bills.
2007-07-16 02:18:06 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you did not sign up to be responsible for this debt and if your ex was an ex at the time of the hospital stay then you should not be responsible.
Check your credit report to see if this bill shows up on your report. If it does then get it removed since you are not responsible.
2007-07-16 02:16:28 · answer #5 · answered by Don 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes it does, if you have a medical bill in collections then this will hurt your score.. You need to pay it off soon
2007-07-16 05:00:15 · answer #6 · answered by shorty21 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you were legally divorced at the time of his treatment then you have ZERO obligation to pay his bills UNLESS he used a credit card that you are the co-owner of. Clear that up then tell the collection people to leave you alone. Check www.clarkhoward.com for info on this as well.
The other one, if it's your alone, is your to pay.
2007-07-19 16:01:12 · answer #7 · answered by charlie m 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋