Patient Resources

Each hospital or doctor's office determines the length of time they will allow for patients to pay their medical bills. If bills remain unpaid beyond that period, those bills are referred to agencies that specialize in collecting payments. Once they're turned over to one of these collection agencies, your debt may be reported to a credit bureau.

If you are unable to resolve your bill or reach a payment agreement with a collection agency that reports your account to a credit bureau, the collection account will stay on your credit history for 7 years. There is some good news. In 2022, the three major credit bureaus made changes to Medical Debt Collection Data. Effective July 1, 2022, paid medical debt will no longer be published as a tradeline on consumer reports.

Yes. Contact the billing manager at your hospital or doctor's office billing manager to discuss your options. Some providers may be willing to adjust your bill or work out a payment plan that could keep your debt from affecting your credit score.

An EOB, or Explanation of Benefits, is not a bill, so there's nothing to pay. It's an inventory that shows which parts of your medical bill were paid by your insurance company--and which items were not. It's a good idea to keep EOBs and use them like checklists to keep track of the bills you'll need to pay out of pocket.

The best place to get an explanation about your bill is with the healthcare provider that sent it. Start by asking for the billing manager at a doctor's office or hospital.