Medical debt collectors

• Ask the provider for an itemized bill and check it against your insurer’s explanation of benefits. Billing and coding errors are common.
• Nonprofit hospitals must have a financial assistance policy, and you can often still apply after a bill has gone to collections.
• The three credit bureaus don’t report paid medical collections or medical collections under $500, and new medical debt isn’t reported until it is a year old.
• A 2025 federal rule to remove all medical debt from credit reports was struck down in court, but several states limit medical debt collection or reporting under their own laws.

Time limits: Medical debt is usually treated as a written or oral contract depending on what you signed at the provider. Check your state.

Ask the collector to prove it

1. Collecting a debt the person says they don't owe45%
2. Missing or unclear written notice about the debt24%
3. False or misleading statements12%
4. Calling too often or after being told to stop7.5%
5. Threatened or took negative or legal action7.1%
6. Problems with texts, emails or social media messages3.2%
7. Contacting or threatening to contact other people1.9%