Medical Debt and Your Credit Report: New Rules

Medical debt is treated differently from other collections. Reporting practices have tightened in recent years — paid medical collections and small balances increasingly don't appear at all, and there's a waiting period before unpaid ones can be reported.

What generally applies now

• Paid medical collections should be removed, not just marked paid
• Small-dollar medical collections are broadly excluded from reports
• A grace period applies before an unpaid bill can be reported

Dispute what shouldn't be there

Medical billing is error-prone — wrong amounts, insurance not applied, duplicate charges. A medical collection reporting despite payment, a pending insurance claim, or below the threshold is disputable.