My wife underwent a procedure at a hospital in PA in end of 2003. We used to have Fortis as our Health Insurance company at that time. We gave the insurance company's Id when asked for insurance information. We never received any communication from the hospital about it since then. We are planning to buy a home. The mortgage lender asked us to provide our credit report when we ran the credit and were surprised to see the name of a collection agency. It was sent only this week to the collection agency. I did not understand why they sent to collections and why it should appear now in her credit report. When contcacted the hospital they say the record has been purgerd and that they can not do anything about it now. They explained to us that the bill they sent to the insurance company came back after they sent it to them and that when they tried to send it to us it came back as well which is why they had to send it to the collection agency.

When tried to search for the insurance company I came to know it was acquired by another company. I do not have any problem paying up to the hospital now although I know the insurance company had to pay it and I do not know why they did not pay it. But the hospital says they have no way of accepting it as they do not have the record in their system. I do not like the record to appear in my wife's credit report. What is my option now? When contacted the collection copany says they have no way of taking the item from the credit report but it will appear as zero balance if we pay it up instead of the $155 that is shown in the report as owed to a collection agency.

I request wheover has experience and knowledge about collections to please advise me on what I should do now.

Thanks in advance.