 TITLE: How to Pay Medical Debt and Avoid Damaging Your Credit CONTENT: How Can Medical Debt Affect Your Credit?\n----------------------------------------\nJust like any other bill, a medical bill on its own won't affect your credit negatively. You may also be fine if you've paid your bill a few days late. But medical debt could appear on your credit reports if you don't pay a bill over several weeks or months and your provider sends it to collections.\nEach health provider has its own policy and practice for collecting debt, and some may be more generous with others. Most typically wait 90 days before sending your debt to collections, though it could range anywhere from 60 days to 180 days. The collections may be handled internally or handed over to a debt collection agency.\nThe good news is that the three major credit bureaus (Experian, TransUnion and Equifax) have a 180-day waiting period before any medical debt will appear on your credit report. This grace period gives you some wiggle room and time to correct any errors, pay the bill, negotiate a payment plan, or otherwise resolve the situation before it goes on your report.\nIf you don't take care of the bill by then and it goes into collections, unpaid medical bills can remain on your credit report for seven years after the original date of delinquency. Since your repayment history makes up the largest part of your credit score, having medical debt in collections can negatively affect your credit report for years.\nThe exception is if your insurer pays off a medical bill that went into collections; if the credit bureaus have proof from the collections agency that it's been paid, they will remove the collection account on your credit history.\nAdditionally, if your medical debt has gone into collections, it's advisable to make sure the charges are accurate. If your account has gone into collections by error or you've been charged the wrong amount, you can dispute the medical collections and may be able to have it removed from your credit report. END