70% of Medical Debt to be Removed from Credit Reports
Credit reporting agencies announce relief for consumers facing medical debt
The three nationwide credit reporting agencies — Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion — announced today that effective July 1, 2022, most medical debt will be removed from consumer credit reports.
The move comes following release of a report by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) that indicates Americans have $88 billion in medical debt on their credit reports.
Here are the changes as announced by the reporting agencies:
Effective July 1, 2022, paid medical collection debt will no longer be included on consumer credit reports. In addition, the time period before unpaid medical collection debt would appear on a consumer’s report will be increased from 6 months to one year, giving consumers more time to work with insurance and/or healthcare providers to address their debt before it is reported on their credit file. In the first half of 2023, Equifax, Experian and TransUnion will also no longer include medical collection debt under at least $500 on credit reports.
