Is there any way to stop a $50 collection action from dinging my credit rating? A few months ago, I went to the emergency room. My insurance has a $50 copay for such things. Somehow, despite the fact that all my other, much larger, bills are paid on time every month, this one managed to slip by to the point where I just got a letter from a collection agency. Apart from being slightly mortified, I’m concerned about my credit rating, which is currently quite good.
I’m wondering what the best course of action is here. I have 30 days to write to the collection agency and dispute the collection. Can I find an old copy of the bill & pay it directly to the hospital, then dispute the collection? Or should I pay the agency quickly? Or something else?
The hospital did take my SSN, and my girlfriend has a collection action on her credit report for about the same amount, so I know they can ding me if so inclined. It’s absolutely not a matter of being able to pay the bill — just credit damage control.