I have a small debt (I think) that I have some questions on. It is less than $200 dollars, last time I checked, and I believe it has passed to a collection agency.
I incurred this debt by going to a hospital and spending 10 minutes in there to get a prescription/diagnosis for tonsillitis. I did not have insurance because I had recently switched from my mother's insurance to University insurance and there was a period of time that was not covered. I just happened to get sick and had a flight the next day, so I was in a rush.
I also don't have the means of paying for this easily. My family is poor and I am literally going through University on a full scholarship. We (my mother and I) did get a check in the mail for the amount a few weeks after the diagnosis, but my mother just told me some mumbo jumbo about how the hospital was government funded and we didn't really need to pay so I was like "??? ok?" and went on with my life.
The collectors started calling me and after the first few times of answering and getting no where, I stopped picking up. It has been a few months, and they keep calling.
Also the first time they called they spat out some threat like "pay or this will go on your credit report." Is that claim legitimate? Also note that I don't have a credit card, loan of any sort, nor even a bank account. As a side note, I don't even have a state or federal issued ID.
What is the best way to go about a situation like this and what should I know so that in the future I don't get riddled with debt and end up like my mother with a credit score beneath the days in a year (might be an exaggeration, I don't know)?
throwaway-justincase3 karma
Hi,
I have a small debt (I think) that I have some questions on. It is less than $200 dollars, last time I checked, and I believe it has passed to a collection agency.
I incurred this debt by going to a hospital and spending 10 minutes in there to get a prescription/diagnosis for tonsillitis. I did not have insurance because I had recently switched from my mother's insurance to University insurance and there was a period of time that was not covered. I just happened to get sick and had a flight the next day, so I was in a rush.
I also don't have the means of paying for this easily. My family is poor and I am literally going through University on a full scholarship. We (my mother and I) did get a check in the mail for the amount a few weeks after the diagnosis, but my mother just told me some mumbo jumbo about how the hospital was government funded and we didn't really need to pay so I was like "??? ok?" and went on with my life.
The collectors started calling me and after the first few times of answering and getting no where, I stopped picking up. It has been a few months, and they keep calling.
Also the first time they called they spat out some threat like "pay or this will go on your credit report." Is that claim legitimate? Also note that I don't have a credit card, loan of any sort, nor even a bank account. As a side note, I don't even have a state or federal issued ID.
What is the best way to go about a situation like this and what should I know so that in the future I don't get riddled with debt and end up like my mother with a credit score beneath the days in a year (might be an exaggeration, I don't know)?
View HistoryShare Link