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What to do when a medical bill goes to collections

US patients · Last checked: 2026-10-25

Not legal or financial advice. This is general information for US patients, summarized from the official sources listed below. Rules vary by state and by situation, and they change. For advice about your case, talk to a lawyer, your state's consumer assistance program, or the official help lines named here. Last checked: 2026-10-25.

Steps

1. Don't ignore it, and get the details in writing. Keep every letter and note every call.
2. Check whether you can still apply for financial assistance. For nonprofit hospitals, selling debt or credit reporting counts as an "extraordinary collection action". A complete application within the 240-day application period means the hospital must suspend those actions. If you're found eligible, the hospital must try to reverse them, including removing negative credit report entries. See our charity care guide.
3. If the amount looks wrong, dispute it in writing as soon as possible. The CFPB says a debt collector can't misrepresent the amount you owe. That includes charges above what the No Surprises Act allows, and a written dispute protects your rights. Use our dispute letter.
4. If you're disputing an uninsured bill through the federal good faith estimate process, the provider must stop pursuing payment until the dispute ends. See No Surprises Act rights.
5. Check your credit reports at AnnualCreditReport.com, and dispute anything wrong with the credit bureau.

Medical debt and credit reports: what's true now

• A CFPB blog post (now in its archive) says Equifax, Experian and TransUnion voluntarily stopped reporting paid medical collections, collections under $500 (from April 11, 2023), and unpaid medical debt less than a year old. If you see one of these on your report, you can dispute it. This doesn't cover credit card debt, even if you used the card to pay a medical bill.
• A 2025 CFPB rule that would have kept most medical debt off credit reports was vacated by a federal court on July 11, 2025, per the CFPB's own page. It is not in effect.
• The CFPB says a collector or bureau may violate the Fair Credit Reporting Act by reporting surprise medical charges above what the No Surprises Act allows.
• Some states have extra medical debt protections. Ask your state attorney general.

Where to get help or complain

• CFPB complaint: online or (855) 411-2372
• No Surprises Help Desk: 1-800-985-3059
• Your state attorney general (find yours)
• Free legal aid in your area, or the legal assistance office if you're a servicemember

Sources (checked 2026-10-25)

• CFPB: Medical bill sent to collections
• CFPB (archived blog): Paid or under-$500 medical debt on credit reports
• CFPB: Medical debt credit reporting rule (vacated July 11, 2025)
• IRS: Billing and collections, Section 501(r)(6)
• CMS: Dispute a medical bill
• AnnualCreditReport.com (official free credit reports)
• CFPB: Submit a complaint
• NAAG: Find your state attorney general

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