News & Views of Phillips Since 1976
Wednesday May 15th 2024
A Bit of Good News About Your Medical Bills
By MARY ELLEN KALZUA
No, President Biden is not forgiving them. Sorry. The good news is that beginning July 1st, paid medical bills will no longer appear on your credit reports. The three major credit bureaus also announced that starting July 1, medical bills now have to be a year old (previously 6 months) before they can be reported. Plus, starting January 2023, only medical bills $500 or more will be reported.
The announcement came after the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) released findings that medical bills comprise the majority of reported collection accounts, to the tune of $88 billion, keeping credit scores down like a cement block in water. I’ve seen credit scores drop nearly 100 points from a medical collection of less than $25! A 100 point drop is devastating. It means a person may suddenly no longer qualify for a mortgage or be able to rent. They have to pay more for car insurance and their phone. They are charged higher interest rates, which can mean paying hundreds or thousands of dollars more than before that medical bill hit their credit reports. And, even if someone paid that collection immediately, it could still be on their report for 7 years.… Read the rest “A Bit of Good News About Your Medical Bills”
PHCJ: The Sacredness of Used Clothing
Peace House Community Journal: The Sacredness of Used Clothing
by Marti Maltby
Like many nonprofits, Peace House Community relies on donations of both money and items to offer services to its community. Sometimes the items we receive are essential to our work, but often we receive donations that cause more problems than they solve. I used to work at a housing agency that had to deal with six burial plots. For decades, the plots showed up on the company’s balance sheet, never being used and having nothing to do with the agency’s work. I’m sure the donor had good intentions, and they probably received a nice thank-you letter, but honestly, it would have been better if they had thought about their donation a little more before filling out all the forms.
When nonprofits receive those donations, we often roll our eyes. We know someone just created a bunch of work for us. Dealing with the donation will take more time and energy than the gift provides. It happens all the time, from donations of dirty socks to half used bottles of shampoo to lutefisk. (Okay, no one’s ever actually donated lutefisk, for which I’m thankful.)
I know I sound cynical about these gifts, but recently another nonprofit director made some comments about the clothing donations she receives that helped soften my attitude.… Read the rest “PHCJ: The Sacredness of Used Clothing”
Movie Corner: The Phantom of the Open
Comedy/Drama
Sony Pictures Classics 2021
★★★★☆
By HOWARD MCQUITTER II
The opening film for the 2022 Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival starts with a chuckle, a laugh, and guffaws. I think it was a brilliant move for the Festival to open with a comedy/drama after these last few years of COVID 19 and unrest.
Mark Rylance plays a real-life Maurice Flitcroft, a crane operator for Vickers shipyards, following in his father’s footsteps. He is married to his lovely wife Jean (Sally Hawkins) and has 3 sons: Michael (Jake Davies) and twins Gene (Christian Lees) and James (Jonas Lees). In the movie we get a peek of Gene and James as disco dancing champions.
Maurice has no hobbies. Jean suggests he find one. One day he’s watching a golf tournament on TV and has the idea that he could play golf even though he never swung a golf club. Despite their misgivings, Maurice’s family encourages him to golf. He tries repeatedly to join elite golf clubs but is always snubbed. I suspect the snubbing may have been based more on class than skill.
He moves on to try to get into the 1976 British Open, and is turned down over and over again.… Read the rest “Movie Corner: The Phantom of the Open”
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