NBC 7 Responds looked at a recent report highlighting errors in the collection of medical debt.
, someone told the CFPB they found their credit score was dropping because of a four-year-old medical bill totaling $10. However, the medical office they visited said they had no records of unpaid debt and did not send anything to collections. The debt collector said it would keep affecting their report until the debt was paid.at least once a year to see if there are any unexpected debts that show up.
If you get a medical bill from a debt collector, first do some research. If you think the amount is wrong or there are other errors, file a complaint with the agency. The CFPBIf you think the debt was or should be, covered by your insurance, reach out to your insurer to get details from them. If it turns out the bill is legitimate and you do owe them money, try to put together a payment plan. Sometimes debt collectors will let you negotiate a way to pay down the debt.
In the meantime, CFPB says it will keep working with other federal agencies to reduce the impact of medical debt because it is not the same as a loan or credit card. "It's not predictive of consumers' ability or probability that they will replay the loan," said Cumpiano"After all, that's what credit reports and credit scores are there for."