Hospital bills unknown to us from when my husband was a minor

[amyables]

My husband and I recently learned (by checking our credit report) that there are unpayed bills under his name at a hospital and at a radiology lab in Arizona where he used to live from when he was a minor. They're ruining our credit, and they won't go away unless we pay them or we find out who's responsible for the mess and do whatever it is we need to in order to clear it up.

This is the skinny: They stem from a vehicle accident he was involved in when he was in high school, and he has never received one thing from either of these institutions requesting that the bills be paid or even stating that they existed in the first place. Apparently they sent the bils to a collection agency....but aren't you supposed to get notices of past due bills before the institution sends them to collections? We (he) never got anything.

He was told at the time (after his hospitalization in 2004) by the hospital, his insurance, and his lawyer that everything was taken care of...but when he contacted the hospital and radiology lab yesterday to inquire about the charges, they said that they billed his insurance and it didn't go through.

That's all the information we have thus far...but the bills add up to a couple thousand dollars and have been sitting on our credit report as delinquencies for years, ruining our credit and we never got one bill or call or anything.

What are we supposed to do? He was a MINOR when these "bills" originated...and we've never had any knowledge of them.

We always figured our credit wasn't good enough because of other reasons.....but this is a big one we never knew anything about. Isn't somebody at fault for this? And if so....who? And what are we supposed to do from here?

Thanks, because it seems fishy to me, but I'm no law genius. That's why I'm posting....help!

 

[seniorjudge]

Q: What are we supposed to do?

A: Pay the bills.

 

[amyables]

So nobody's responsible for lying to him four years ago? No one is responsib;e for our ruined credit score, and it will stay on our credit for seven years now even though he was a minor when the bills originated?

That does NOT seem right at all.

There has to be something wrong with that.

 

[WebJunkie]

So nobody's responsible for lying to him four years ago? No one is responsib;e for our ruined credit score, and it will stay on our credit for seven years now even though he was a minor when the bills originated?

That does NOT seem right at all.

There has to be something wrong with that.

Well, I'd have to say:

1st, talk to the hospital. Explain what you think is going on, ask what their side is. Maybe you can convince them of... something. I dunno. Talk to the hospital, or whoever owns the debt now. There's always the chance it was an error in paperwork or something of that nature. Maybe they'd even offer a release from the debt (not likely, but worth a shot.) or perhaps you could find some middle ground to start repairing your credit.

2nd, once you have talked to the hospital, you should at least file a note with the credit agencies regarding the debt. If you have the hospitals cooperation, perhaps you could do even more.

Really though, there's not much advice anyone can give you except to pay the bill. It's on his credit, so you're probably stuck with it. But you never know what a phone call and an awesome attitude can do for you.

And yes, you need the awesome attitude. Calling and yelling won't get you anywhere.

 

[amyables]

thanks

Thanks...that's what we're doing right now...talking to the hospital. Don't worry - there will be an awesome attitude involved....my husband's. I'd just yell and b^%&h so I'm glad they're not my bills.

Anyway, I'm glad we're doing the right thing!