Am I responsible for this medical debt? by: Debtcollectionanswers
If you were just 16 when you received the medical care, then you were a minor and therefore you are not responsible for the debt. Your parents are legally responsible for it. Have you talked with your parents about paying the debt?
If the debt is in collections, then I recommend that you contact the debt collection agency and explain that you were a minor when the debt was incurred and therefore you are not legally responsible for paying it. In addition, ask for written proof that you owe the debt and ask the agency to remove the collection information from your credit histories. Then follow up the phone call with a letter providing the same information and making the same requests. Make a copy of the letter for your files and send the original letter via certified mail with a return receipt requested.
At the same time, review all three of your credit histories -- Equifax, Experian and TransUnion should each have a credit history on you -- to find out which of them is reporting the collection account. Then, dispute the information with whichever credit reporting agencies are reporting it. (You can file your disputes online.) Disputing the information may result in the collection account information being deleted from your files. If not, the consumer law attorney should be able to help you.
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