Credit repair, debt consolidation, debt relief, and credit counseling are all options to help right the ship if you’ve found yourself sinking in debt. Some options are better suited to your situation than others. A Better Business Bureau investigator says you should do some research to find out which one is right for you.

Although medical debt is not supposed to be reported to the three credit reporting bureaus, sometimes the debt is sold to a collection agency and then reported. BBB Investigator Don O’Brien:

Of the other solutions, he says credit counseling is the most comprehensive. Debt relief or settlement companies provide help by renegotiating the debt so that the person don’t owe as much. Debt consolidation companies offer loans to pay off debts in all at once. And credit repair companies promise to clean up credit reports for a fee, but the chances that they can do anything account owners couldn’t do on their own are slim. You have the right to correct inaccurate information in your file, but nobody can remove accurate negative information. Only time and conscientious payments will actually repair the credit report.