What’s worse than being overwhelmed by medical debt after a hospital stay or doctor’s visit? Being told you owe money for healthcare procedures and services you never received. Yet, a new analysis of federal data shows that too many Americans are being pestered to pay off medical debt that they don’t actually owe. [More]
medical debt
Data Shows Too Many Americans Being Pestered About Medical Debt They Don’t Owe
By 4.12.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
People In Southern States More Likely To Be Saddled With Medical Debt
By 3.2.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
While expensive medical emergencies can hit anyone, anywhere in the U.S., a new report finds that one region of the country has a higher level of medical debt than the rest of the states. [More]
30 Stories We Didn’t Expect To Write In 2016
By 12.30.16
As a wise internet meme once said, some things are worth waiting for. Often, we end up waiting for them for so long, that when they finally do come to pass, we can’t help but be a bit shocked. And some things… Well, we never expected in the first place. [More]
What Is Zombie Debt, And Why Won’t It Just Stay Dead?
By 6.7.16
John Oliver made a huge splash this week when, to prove a point on his show, he purchased $15 million worth of medical debt for $60,000… and then promptly forgave it all. A lot of that debt was “zombie debt,” which, like its namesake, keeps coming back from the dead to bother people who would much rather be left alone and unbitten. [More]
Nonprofit Hospitals Suing Poor Patients Without Telling Them They Qualify For Reduced Or Free Care
By 6.1.16
Given that nonprofit hospitals are tax-exempt, the general view is that their primary focus should be on providing care for those who need it rather than making using the court system to make those patients pay up. Almost all of these hospitals have programs to reduce bills for people living below or near the poverty line, but some are suing poor patients without ever telling them about these options. [More]
7 Things To Know About Why So Many Debt Collection Lawsuits Are Filed In Nebraska
By 5.2.16
When a debt collector decides to file a lawsuit against an alleged debtor, that decision might have more to do with where the defendant lives than with how much they allegedly owe. [More]
Medical Debt Collector Must Pay Consumers $5.4M For Improperly Handling Disputes
By 6.18.15
What happens when you combine expensive — and often unanticipated — medical bills and overzealous debt collectors? An environment ripe for abusive, unfair collection practices. At least that appears to be the case for an operation that must pay $5.4 million in relief to consumers for allegedly mishandling credit reporting disputes and preventing individuals from exercising their debt collection rights. [More]
New Rules Change The Way Non-Profit Hospitals Handle Low-Income Patients’ Debts
By 1.12.15
While some hospitals work to assist patients in paying their unexpected and often expensive medical bills, other institutions have been known to employ aggressive tactics that harshly penalize patients who are unable to pay their medical debts. However, the adoption of new federal rules aims to change the way in which non-profit hospitals handle consumers and their debts. [More]
New Requirement Aims To Curb Inaccurately Reported Medical Debt
By 12.11.14
Medical bills account for nearly half of all collections notices on consumers’ credit reports, affecting more than 43 million Americans. Meanwhile, it’s been shown that medical billing is fraught with errors and many consumers sent to collections for these debts are penalized too harshly. A new federal requirement hopes to reduce this overly negative impact of medical debt on credit reports. [More]
Report: Billing Errors, Varying Procedure Costs Create Environment For Excessive Medical Debt
By 10.8.14
Making a trip to the doctor undoubtedly leaves many consumers’ wallets a little (or a lot) lighter. While some people going in for planned medical procedures might seek out doctors covered under their insurance to help alleviate out-of-pocket costs, a new report found that even with advances in medical policy consumers are feeling the burden of medical debt. [More]
NCLC: More Can Be Done To Protect Consumers From Hurtful Medical Debt On Credit Reports
By 9.10.14
Upcoming changes to the way FICO calculates credit scores will improve the way americans access credit, but advocates from the National Consumer Law Center – and legislators – are aiming to create an overhaul of the entire credit reporting system; starting with medical debt. [More]
Hospital Teams With Bank To Offer Interest-Free Loans So Patients Can Pay Their Bills
By 9.2.14
Health care, especially of the emergency kind, has been known to leave consumers with hefty bills and few options expect to go into debt. But now some health systems are finding ways to give their patients relief when it comes to credit-destroying medical bills. [More]
Medical Debt Still Stinks, But New Credit Score Change Will Make It Hurt Your Life Less
By 8.8.14
Credit reporting behemoth FICO is making changes in the way it calculates credit scores. And for once, there’s some good news. The changes are expected to make it easier for most Americans to access credit — that is, to borrow money and take out loans — and will punish fewer consumers for incurring some debts that were out of their control. [More]
Legislation Would Give Consumers 120 Days To Resolve Medical Debts Before Dinging Credit Reports
By 5.28.13
Consider the following: 1-in-10 insurance claims are processed incorrectly; debt collectors are using account information that may be incomplete, inaccurate and out-of-date; once reported to a credit bureau, medical debt — whether real or erroneous — can do severe damage to your credit score. Perhaps it couldn’t hurt to give consumers a chance to challenge or resolve medical debts before collectors report them to the credit bureaus? [More]
Advocates Call On Senate To Remove Paid Medical Debt From Credit Reports
By 5.13.13
Medical bills can be outrageously high, and usually there’s a direct relationship between the unexpectedness of a procedure and its cost. Sometimes, no financial planning in the world can forestall unforeseen medical expenses. Yet if any medical debt ends up on your credit report, it can remain there for up to seven years — even after you’ve paid it in full. That’s why a large coalition of advocacy groups have written Senate leadership asking them to consider the Medical Debt Relief Act. [More]
Consumerist Readers Make The Case For Wiping Paid Medical Debt From Credit Reports
By 3.28.13
It’s a nightmarish scenario — you pay your credit card bills, car payments and loans all time, but when your credit report arrives… WHAM. Medical debt rears its ugly head and mucks up your life in a real way — even if you pay it. After hearing from one Consumerist reader who was shocked to discover a major dent in his credit score because of one $72 hospital bill, we asked for more stories from our readers to highlight what a very real problem this is. [More]
Senators Take Another Stab At Eliminating Paid Medical Debt From Credit Reports
By 2.8.13 — Updated: 2.11.13
This happens all too frequently: Someone with good credit suddenly incurs a large number of medical bills. Sometimes it’s too much money for the person to pay off in time, sometimes one bill will get overlooked and the debt is sent to collections. That person’s credit will now carry that stain for up to seven years. [More]
