Credit and Medical Bills?

bagelpirate

Im 19, i have a stable job, and I'm trying to apply for credit.

I've been turned down by every place I've applied to, so I got a credit report from equifax ( http://www.equifax/fcra to get free credit report BTW )

It turns out I have $974 in medical bills (I have a broken chest, that im trying to get surgery on, this was from an ambulance ride, when I did not have insurance.)

I can't afford this... its the only notch on my credit report. Is there any government aid or anything for this? All my extra money has been going to me mum (father passed away 9 months ago, she's supporting 3 kids, besides me, by herself)

$974 for an ambulance ride is fucking crazy too, it was only a ~8 mi drive, even though it seemed like a long time.

So am I fucked already? Is there anything I can do?

just typing all this out is depressing me....

Rhino

Who do you owe it to?

I would go talk to them. Ask them if they plans to help out low income families. And/or also ask them if they have a payment plan or something like that. See if you can pay down $25.00 a month or whatever you can afford.

Assuming your in the US, right?
Check this site out: http://www.hhs.gov/
Call around and see if their are any government programs you can get on for health care.
I don't know exactly what is available, but one of my ex-girlfriends had a plan from the government that paid her medical bills.

EDIT: Also if you need credit, don't use credit cards. Try a small loan from a bank or something like that. Don't take on any debt that carries more then 8-10% interest and don't use paycheck loans or any of those scams. Small loan from a bank and/or credit union.

bagelpirate

All it says in the credit report is AMR. No actual company name.

Invisible

bagelpirate wrote: »

All it says in the credit report is AMR. No actual company name.

Most likely American Medical Response.

Which has a Billing Contacts section.

Feral

Rhino has the right idea. Don't count on any government assistance. I don't know of any assistance programs that can help you with old medical bills and I find it highly unlikely that any exist. However, you should be able to enter a payment arrangement with AMR or get part (or even all) of the debt forgiven.

That said, the creditor has reported already - which means that even if you pay the debt, the judgment will remain on your credit report. Paying it off will convert it to a "satisfied" judgment which is better than an open judgment but still bad.

Now, did you know that you owed AMR $974 for an ambulance ride? Did they send you a bill? If they failed to contact you prior to obtaining the judgment, you may be able to get the judgment set aside. Don't count on that, though - medical providers are meticulous about sending multiple bills and trying to contact people by phone before sending accounts to collections. If you didn't receive a bill, you should look through your own history to figure why (you moved and forgot to forward mail, for instance).

Thanatos

Rhino wrote: »

EDIT: Also if you need credit, don't use credit cards. Try a small loan from a bank or something like that. Don't take on any debt that carries more then 8-10% interest and don't use paycheck loans or any of those scams. Small loan from a bank and/or credit union.

You're not likely to get unsecured loans from banks or a credit union if your credit isn't even good enough to get a credit card.

bagelpirate

Feral wrote: »

Rhino has the right idea. Don't count on any government assistance. I don't know of any assistance programs that can help you with old medical bills and I find it highly unlikely that any exist. However, you should be able to enter a payment arrangement with AMR or get part (or even all) of the debt forgiven.

That said, the creditor has reported already - which means that even if you pay the debt, the judgment will remain on your credit report. Paying it off will convert it to a "satisfied" judgment which is better than an open judgment but still bad.

Now, did you know that you owed AMR $974 for an ambulance ride? Did they send you a bill? If they failed to contact you prior to obtaining the judgment, you may be able to get the judgment set aside. Don't count on that, though - medical providers are meticulous about sending multiple bills and trying to contact people by phone before sending accounts to collections. If you didn't receive a bill, you should look through your own history to figure why (you moved and forgot to forward mail, for instance).

With a "satisfied" judgement could I still get a credit card?

I myself never received a bill. It would have gone through my mother though, they never called me specifically or anything. Think I would have a case there?

witch_ie

If you really didn't know you owed AMR the money, you could ask that they remove the judgement against you from your credit report. Companies generally don't like to do this, but if it was put on in error due to some misunderstanding, such as your not knowing you owed them and not receiving the bills, they might be willing to.

If your mother received the bill and it was addressed to you, and you didn't pick it up, I don't think you have as good a chance of claiming you didn't know. It is your responsibliity to check your mail, even if it's being sent to your mother's address. It's not their responsibility to call you before putting a mark on your credit record.

bagelpirate

witch_ie wrote: »

If you really didn't know you owed AMR the money, you could ask that they remove the judgement against you from your credit report. Companies generally don't like to do this, but if it was put on in error due to some misunderstanding, such as your not knowing you owed them and not receiving the bills, they might be willing to.

If your mother received the bill and it was addressed to you, and you didn't pick it up, I don't think you have as good a chance of claiming you didn't know. It is your responsibliity to check your mail, even if it's being sent to your mother's address. It's not their responsibility to call you before putting a mark on your credit record.

Thats what I figured. I'll call them and try and set up a payment plan and get collections off my credit report.

mugginns

Depending on how AMR is paid for, you may be able to get the bill knocked off. Just tell them you can't pay.