The nation’s largest credit reporting agencies; Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion announced on Friday that many U.S. consumers will have their medical debt wiped from their credit reports.
In a joint statement, they stated that nearly 70% of medical collection debt accounts from consumer credit reports would be removed after conducting months of market research. The changes will take effect July 1, 2022.
Paid medical debt will no longer be included on consumer credit reports. Credit bureaus plan to extend the timeline reporting how long a medical bill is sent to collections. Typically a medical bill is sent to collections after 180 days. Consumers will now be given up to one full year. This will give consumers more time to work with insurance and/or medical providers to address their debt before it is reported to their file without it impacting their credit score.
Most medical debts in collection on consumer credit reports are under $500. Beginning in the first half of 2023 Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion will no longer include unpaid medical collection debt that is under $500, though that threshold may increase.
This does not change the responsibility of the consumer to pay, but it may alleviate some of struggle consumers face when trying to apply for credit.
