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Credit reporting bureaus announced in March that they would start taking most paid medical debt off people’s credit reports. At first, we weren’t sure that would be such a huge deal. After all, the unpaid medical debt would still exist, people would still get harassed by debt collectors, or even sued over it. But it turns out, there are a bunch of reasons these changes could be life-changing, and we want to give credit (the good kind) where it’s due.
The changes include:
- Paid-off medical debt disappears from credit reports on July 1, 2022.
- Debts under $500 (even if you haven’t paid them) come off reports in March 2023.
- Medical bills under $500 that you received after March 1, 2022, will not go onto your credit report.
- No medical bills — of any size — will appear on your credit report until they’re at least a year old, starting July 1, 2022.
Plus, some good changes to the games debt collectors can play with your credit score.
“An Arm and a Leg” is a co-production of KHN and Public Road Productions.
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KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation.
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