smokin5s Posted June 2, 2015 Report Share Posted June 2, 2015 The past 2 years, my family has acquired a lot of medical debt. I am trying to figure out what debt we owe and to who. What is the easiest way to get this information? I figure a credit check is the first place to start, but I'm looking for direction on what companies to even use to run a credit report. Anyone have any luck with negotiating rates down? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grudes Posted June 3, 2015 Report Share Posted June 3, 2015 Go to freeanualcreditreport.com and you can get all 3 of your credit reports free once a year. If you have already done that in the past year Go to one of the main credit bureau websites (Transunion, experian, or equifax) and get all 3 of your credit reports for a fee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRTurbo04 Posted June 3, 2015 Report Share Posted June 3, 2015 I cant imagine medical bills are going to show on the credit report unless they have been sent to collections and are showing past due. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Franchi Posted June 3, 2015 Report Share Posted June 3, 2015 The past 2 years, my family has acquired a lot of medical debt. I am trying to figure out what debt we owe and to who. What is the easiest way to get this information? I figure a credit check is the first place to start, but I'm looking for direction on what companies to even use to run a credit report. Anyone have any luck with negotiating rates down? I would imagine just started with where you or the family had treatment / care and asking for copies of your bills to see what all is owed first and to whom? And they generally will not negotiate rates down at all unless you are seriously behind on payments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbs3000 Posted June 3, 2015 Report Share Posted June 3, 2015 Sign up for creditkarma.com as well, it's free and while it's not 100% accurate all the time and the score is normally off a bit it's a good free tool you can check over and over as it updates weekly. Also, of you dispute anything on your report via one of the 3 bureaus websites you can see your whole report for free. Mark's company helps people with things like this I believe but I don't know anyone who has used the service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngryBMW Posted June 3, 2015 Report Share Posted June 3, 2015 The past 2 years, my family has acquired a lot of medical debt. I am trying to figure out what debt we owe and to who. What is the easiest way to get this information? I figure a credit check is the first place to start, but I'm looking for direction on what companies to even use to run a credit report. Anyone have any luck with negotiating rates down? Have you worked out a payment plan with the hospital/doctors offices so the bills will report on your credit or are the delinquent now? For them to report, their needs to be a reason for them to be on your report. I would suggest avoiding any of the 'free' report websites as the information they provide will typically be very inaccurate. This includes Credit Karma and Freecreditreport.com. As mentioned before, I would go straight to one of the 3 main bureau's sites and pay the $15-30 for your full report(s) and scores. If the bills are in collection, on a consumer pulled report (like for a mortgage), no pertinent information like the hospital name will be shown; only the name of the debt collector and the amount owed/past due to satisfy hipa laws. To get the specifics, you will have to call the bureau direct and they will be able to give you the account number and more details. Depending on what you owe, all of the creditors should be willing to work with you to establish a payment plan and should take less than owed. I always suggest asking what their 'cash today' payment would be and then using that lower number to establish how much you repay and over how long of a term. The debts themselves should be interest free; the only cost other than what is owed would be any late penalties or fines accrued for lack of payment...if there are any. I don't know anyone that has used Mark's company but do have a few companies that I recommend on a weekly basis to prospective home buyers that do not currently qualify for a mortgage. If you are looking for access to cash to pay off some of the debt immediately and have equity in your home, give me a call and we can discuss a cash-out refinance. This will lock in your equity at a low rate over a long term to help pay off the debt in a comfortable manner. If you have any other questions I can answer, feel free to reach out at 614-339-1206 or mstock@usavingsbank.com Thanks, Marc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrs.cos Posted June 3, 2015 Report Share Posted June 3, 2015 You can get one free credit report from each of the agencies a year. Dont go with third party companies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokin5s Posted June 3, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 3, 2015 I'm not looking to refinance my house or anything else I don't believe in passing debt to another place, just trying to figure out where my debt is and why... This was sparked because I got a creditor letter in the mail for a hospital bill for a hospital that I have never been at. We have had a lot of medical issues within my family for the past 2 years which has made me want to be proactive and figure out what's going on and if it's owed deal with it. I want to make sure to paint the proper picture with my question. As far as debt (besides some medical debt) I only owe on one car and my mortgage... everything else we own free and clear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngryBMW Posted June 3, 2015 Report Share Posted June 3, 2015 FYI...Depending on what the creditors offer you with regard to repayment terms on the medical debt, and of course how much you owe, paying off with 'cash' from a refinance of your mortgage can make a lot of sense. I do it for people all the time *IF* the savings is enough to cover the new interest. Good luck Josh. -Marc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmrmnhrm Posted June 4, 2015 Report Share Posted June 4, 2015 This was sparked because I got a creditor letter in the mail for a hospital bill for a hospital that I have never been at. We have had a lot of medical issues within my family for the past 2 years which has made me want to be proactive and figure out what's going on and if it's owed deal with it. There's a lot of info out there, especially with regards to you and your family's rights under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, but first and foremost in this situation is your right to demand, in writing, an accounting of who incurred the debt, where, when, how much, and that the creditor sending the letter has the legal right to request payment on said debt. Nothing you or they say over the phone has any legal weight, only what is put down on a written page via snail mail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wagner Posted June 4, 2015 Report Share Posted June 4, 2015 I'm not looking to refinance my house or anything else I don't believe in passing debt to another place, just trying to figure out where my debt is and why... This was sparked because I got a creditor letter in the mail for a hospital bill for a hospital that I have never been at. We have had a lot of medical issues within my family for the past 2 years which has made me want to be proactive and figure out what's going on and if it's owed deal with it. I want to make sure to paint the proper picture with my question. As far as debt (besides some medical debt) I only owe on one car and my mortgage... everything else we own free and clear. If you were never seen there, that is a problem and screams of identity theft... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2 Sweet Posted June 4, 2015 Report Share Posted June 4, 2015 Yeah once you get the credit report, contact the creditors and negotiate a settlement to erase the debt from your record. One of my vendors at work wouldn't shut up about something called "Lexington Law". Said he paid them $89/month for two months and they eliminated all five of the delinquent hits on his credit for past due bills he never paid. Supposedly raised his credit score from 580 to over 700 in a matter of a few months. No idea if it's legit or not (probably not) I had never heard of such a thing, maybe someone else on here has? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokin5s Posted June 4, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 4, 2015 FYI...Depending on what the creditors offer you with regard to repayment terms on the medical debt, and of course how much you owe, paying off with 'cash' from a refinance of your mortgage can make a lot of sense. I do it for people all the time *IF* the savings is enough to cover the new interest. Good luck Josh. -Marc Medical debt is 0% interest... I don't see how ever refinances that has closing costs as well as an interest rate would ever make sense to do. I get that you do mortgages, but that just seems crazy to ever suggest that to anyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokin5s Posted June 4, 2015 Author Report Share Posted June 4, 2015 If you were never seen there, that is a problem and screams of identity theft... agreed, thus why I'm asking so I can see if there's anything else like this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngryBMW Posted June 4, 2015 Report Share Posted June 4, 2015 Medical debt is 0% interest... I don't see how ever refinances that has closing costs as well as an interest rate would ever make sense to do. I get that you do mortgages, but that just seems crazy to ever suggest that to anyone. Medical debt is only 0% if you have an agreed repayment plan and have stuck to the plan. If it is at the point of collections whereas the original creditor has sold the debt to a collection agency, the amount of fees and penalties that rack up are insane. And they add to them each and every month. The ONLY reason I suggest a cash-out refi to someone to cover medical bills is if they are buried and at the point where they are incurring serious fines. You never clarified to which point you were at so I was simply trying to help give you a perspective if you were upside down. No worries and best of luck. -Marc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mensan Posted June 5, 2015 Report Share Posted June 5, 2015 Josh, anyone sending your info to a credit collection agency has to keep good records. Fraudulent companies will take advantage of you by sending you bills that are not yours. Use the info Chris (mmrnhmhmnmhmhn) gave you and read up on FCRA, and FDCPA. If a company sent you fraudulent debt, you can sue them. I did, successfully, without hiring an attorney. There is a thread about it here. I can answer questions if you have them. Call the company on every bill you get. Keep a file/folder of all bills that come in, separated by creditor and date. Keep sticky notes on the front of each so you can take notes (legit/questionable/etc.). Medical companies have high rates to bill high prices to insurance companies. If you call billing and tell them you can't afford the high payments, they WILL lower your bill. The first time I called about my daughter's dislocated elbow, they reduced our bill by 25%, without question. You can probably pay even less. Just ask, and don't feel guilty. Your debt is a drop in the collective bucket. Lexington Law is 100% legit for bad credit reports. I used Dana Facemeyer and took my credit score from 609 to 785 in 6 months. It takes a few months before it gets rolling (the credit reporting agencies are opposed to removal) but once things start coming off, they come off quick. My friend (who recommended the agency I used) had a bankruptcy and car repossession removed. Pretty astounding, as that isn't supposed to happen. Bankruptcies are usually permanent until the 7 years is up. If you want to know more about my extensive experience in any of these areas, feel free to call/PM me or ask here. That goes for anyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nurkvinny Posted June 5, 2015 Report Share Posted June 5, 2015 If you were never seen there, that is a problem and screams of identity theft... I disagree. I've had more medical visits in the past year than the rest of my life combined. Many offices / Drs. use other hospitals for routine things. For instance, my MRI that I had at one place resulted in a charge from another hospital because the doc who actually read the results was from there. Another instance, my physical therapy from a local joint in Gahanna came through as a bill from a different place, because they're affiliated with the other hospital. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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