Am I better off paying old medical bills directly to the doctors or to the collection agencies?

Question

I have some old medical bills that have gone to a collections agency. I have recently gotten into a position where I can pay the bills off, but should I pay the hospital & doctors directly or send the money to the collection agency? I would rather pay the doctors & hospital since I may need to use them again, but don't want to leave the old bills on my credit report. What is the best way to pay these bills?

Answer 1

Pay the doctors if you want, all that will happen is that it may take a little longer for your credit report to reflect this but it will reflect that you paid. The end product will be the same.

The only thing that may happen is that the collections agency may not get paid because they didn't collect the debt.....too bad for them. That is between the doctor and the agency.

The upside of paying the doctor is you get a direct reciept for your taxes.

I always pay the doctor just because its easiest and I feel safer doing so.

Answer 2

if it has already gone to collections then you have to pay the collections agency.  If you pay the doctor directly it won't help eleviate your credit debt.

Answer 3

the agency. i'm going through this myself. once its paid it will reflect that you paid it although late. i've had two agencies out of ten report paid on time just like it never went to collections.

once in a while you'll find some willing to do that. it doesn't hurt to ask.

Answer 4

1. Order your credit reports from the 3 bureaus

www.equifax.com

www.experian.com

www.transunion.com

If you're ordering for the first time, get your score (for a fee) from Equifax as their scoring matters most.

2. Make copies of your report and put the originals in a binder. On the photocopied reports use a highlighter and check for any incorrect, outdate, false, etc...info

3. Download a dispute letter(s) from the credit bureaus website and list anything that is wrong. Mail them to their office(s). They have 30 days to reply.

4. If they will not remove something that is not yours or too old (> 7 years) as them for a debt validation. This may take an additional 30 days.

5. Once the 'baddies' come off, take care not to let any of your other accounts fall into that predicament.

6. If you haven't already make sure your existing accounts are current and paid on time ALWAYS.

7. Get a secured credit card with www.capitalone.com or www.mastercard.com for like $500-1000 or more if you can and use it sparingly. Charge like $50 on the card each month and pay it in FULL and on TIME. Make sure you do this for a minimum of 6 months so that you estabish a positive repayment history.

8. Problem with just letting them 'fall off' is that they may never. You may get sued before that...that's where you suddenly get a summons to appear in court and a judgment for collection against you.

For the 2 collection items...pay them but get a 'pay for delete' from the collectin agency in WRITING...they'll delete it after you pay and it will help your credit score

Answer 5

Claire. I suggest you hire a debt settlement company like the one I own.

We negotiate with your creditors and make sure they give you a discount because they are so old. If you would like me to look a bit more into your situation give me an email at [e-mail]

I am Aaron