4Sep/10Off
I am i liable for a Medical Bill when i was 16?
Right now I am 19 years old. Three years ago my parents took me an acne treatment place just for a check up. Everything was fine so we never went back. I get home today and there is a bill from that place
It says in the letter "This letter has been sent to you by a collection agency...As required by law, you hereby notified that a negative credit report reflecting on your credit report may be submitted to a credit report agency. If you fail to full the terms of your credit obligations"
And it seems they are going to charge interest on the bill. then it goes on to say Unless i notify them within 30 days they will assume that this debt is valid
Right now I am not really sure what do. Can anyone help?
September 4th, 2010 - 21:38
No. As a minor you can not be held legally responsible for the bill. Minors can not enter into contracts. However, your parents can be held responsible for the debt.
First thing I’d do is pull your credit report. You are entitled to one free report each year from each of the credit reporting agencies. Go to this web site: https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp
Many debt collections companies buy old bad debt for pennies on the dollar. Then they hound you to get you to pay them. They don’t care if you owe it or not. These guys are bottom feeders. Sounds like the situation here. There is a very good chance that this debt is not on your credit…these bottom feeders are just hoping you are too dumb to look into it.
If this debt is on your credit report — dispute it with the credit reporting agency. Then write the collections company and request written confirmation of the debt. There is a good chance they can’t provide that. But if they do – you can respond back to them that you were a minor at the time the debt was incurred.
You may want to do some research on the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. You have rights under this act. But you will have to demand them. These bottom feeder collection companies will not voluntarily comply. You have to do your home work and know your rights. http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/credit/cre27.pdf
You may be able to get additional info through Suze Orman’s or Dave Ramsey’s web sites.
Good Luck.
September 4th, 2010 - 21:38
i would get in touch with the medical place that you went to.i am sure your parents had insurance and it might be a mistake .but you need to clear the matter up asap or it will go on your credit report and haunt you for the rest of your life.anyway why have you not talked with your parents about the bill yet.they might have already paid it and can clear things up for you.
September 4th, 2010 - 21:38
You cannot possibly be liable for the debt unless you were an emancipated minor at the time and signed something accepting responsibility for the charge.
1. Tell your parents. You were their dependent when you were 16, and their health insurance should have covered it. If it didn’t, then sometime in the last 3 years, they were surely contacted about it. Find out what they know and if they have any records of it.
2. DO NOT talk to the collection agency. They are very good at interrogation and intimidation, and they will get all kinds of info out of you about your parents, where they work and bank and so on.
3. If the insurance company didn’t pay, find out why the claim was denied. It may be that they requested info from the doctor and never got it. In that case, you can contend that the doctor should absorb the debt. Contact the doctor’s office about it, if you still have questions.
4. When you know what’s what, send the collection agency something in writing. Either send proof that the bill was paid, or if it wasn’t, then send a statement saying that you were a minor at the time and are not legally responsible for that debt. Also say in the letter that you do not want them contacting you again. No need to give them your parents’ contact information. They cannot come after you. Your parents can then decide how they will handle it, since the debt would be theirs. They can contact the collector and set up a payment agreement, dispute the debt, or ignore it (which could hurt their credit, but that’ll be their decision).
September 4th, 2010 - 21:38
No, in fact they are breaking the law by sending the letter.
Here is a link to a letter to send them
http://www.fair-debt-collection.com/Disputing_Collections/initial-dispute-letter.html
You may want to add a tidbit about how "If this alleged debt was mine, I would have incurred it as a minor". Send it certified mail.
Go to https://www.annualcreditreport.com/cra/index.jsp now, and again 40 days from the date you send the letter. If it appears now, don’t dispute it with the agency. If it is still there after 40 days, congratulations, you just won a small claims case.
You will want to study the Fair Debt Collections Act, and the Fair Credit Reporting Act before you consider suing them in small claims.
If they continue to attempt to collect, or it appears on your credit report, you can sue them for $2,000 per infringement. There may be a few.