fixing bad credit?!?

Question

OK, i looked up my credit report and i have about 4 "bad"things totalling around $1000. **all are hospital bills that i dispute**
and 9 good accounts, my student loan debt **there are 9 that show up and all but one is paid off-none of them have EVER been late**

so why is my credit bad!? i couldnt get a credit card if i had too. not that i really want one. i just want to know how to increase my credit score?!?!?!

thanks for any help!!!!!!

and those are LITERALLY the only things on my report. i looked it up under all 3 of the big ones.

Answer 1

Student loans do not do much to help credit scores compared to major credit cards.
If all you have are student loans and the 4 small negative hospital bills, those negatives will drop your score and keep it down until they are removed.

Like one poster recommended, you might contact the medical provider and speak to them about paying. If the accounts are with collection agencies, you can mention that you have rights under HIPAA in paying the medical provider and not the collection agency.

Also by HIPAA laws, when the original medical provider is paid in full, they must recall the account from the collectors and request that the collectors remove everything in their files and on your credit report concerning the account.

You might click on my profile and click on the last link I have listed. Do some reading in the Medical Forum.

You might also think about building your credit by speaking with your bank or credit union about a secured credit card.
Use credit card wisely. Charge only what you normally would purchase, and already have money earmarked for, then pay in full when you receive the statement.

One poster mentioned that you do not need credit to purchase a home or vehicle. Which you really don't, but you would be paying extremely high interest rates.
Plus trying to qualify for a mortgage without having a credit history, along with the higher interest rates, you would have to use an underwriter for qualification. It would be an extra expense that you would not normally have to pay for and underwriters are not cheap

Answer 2

You really DON'T WANT a credit card. If your disputing these items and they turn out not to be yours then the credit report companies must remove them.

Not having a credit score at all will not stop you from owning a house or buying a car which are the only reasons to go in debt that make sense. Actually buying a car on credit isn't really smart either but if you have to you have to.

If your worrying about trying to buy a house with a bad credit score or no credit score at all just make sure you go to a mortgage company that MANUALLY underwrites your loan and you'll not have a problem as long as what you stated is true.

If the 4 hospital bills withstand your dispute pay them off quick. Don't let them linger around. They will stay on your report for at least 7yrs unless the hospitals update the debt then they will stay on until they're paid off.

How much the remaining good account is can also be a problem if the balance is close to the high balance.

The source listed below is spread out you'll have to connect the letters. Dave can get your financial life in order.

Answer 3

Payoff past due accounts.The bulk of your credit score – about 35 percent – comes from your payment history. The more often you make payments on time, the better your score will be.So start by checking your credit score for past due accounts. If you have several past due accounts, it's time to triage. Ask for good faith adjustments.When you look at your credit report you may see just one or two late payments. Maybe these payments were late because of an oversight or because of a one-time financial problem that has since been resolved. Deal with collection accounts, charge-offs and liens.Accounts that have been charged off or sent to collections have a negative impact on your credit score, and you need to be careful how you deal with them.Improve your debt-to-credit ratio.Another factor used to calculate your credit score is amounts owed. Amounts owed isn't about the actual dollar amount you owe but your debt-to-credit ratio – how much money you owe versus how much credit you have available.Mark’s book-Hidden Credit Repair Secrets can help you fix your credit also.

Answer 4

The only thing you can do is take care of those hospital bills that you are disputing. Either pay them off, take the hospital to court and get the money back and then that will help get your credit back in line (it may take up to 7 years or those makrs on your credit score to go away however). If you really do owe the hospital the money it will take a while to build your credit up again (just keep making payments on time, paying off loans, etc.), but if the hospital was in the wrong and you can prove it you can call the credit checking company you checked with and explain and send them proof and they can usually remedy it.

Answer 5

Seems like all you need to do is keep up the good work and pay off the 1k in delinquent medical bills. TIme alone will raise your score if you continue to pay bills on time.

It seems as if your biggest prob right now might be the length of your credit history.

Answer 6

Call the hospital who you owe the money too, deal with them and have those bills delt with. You may have to pay them, but get them removed from your credit report one way or another.
You can get a credit card with bad credit, it may have to be secured though.

Answer 7

The only two factors that will raise your score are
1- paying bills on time and
2- reducing your debt ratio

I'm guessing the collection accounts negatively impacted your score and that's why it's a bit less than stellar. It will take time to see a major score improvement...just be patient and consistently do numbers one and two above.
Good luck!

Answer 8

Well write each of the three cra's (experian, equifax and transunion) and tell them that you dispute all the medical bills, list each separately. Say you do not owe them and that they are inaccurate and they need to provide you proof they are yours and valid or t hey have to remove them.

You can get negative items taken off your credit report - even valid ones.

Good luck!

Answer 9

Gee you only owe 1000? I owe over 35k with 3 different cards :(