Can an unpaid medical bill affect your credit rating?

Question

We don't agree with a medical clinic's bill (it was for some heart tests), and they refuse to adjust it. What happens if we don't pay it?

Answer 1

yes

Answer 2

Yes it will go as a negative account on your credit report. Once it has gone to collections, and the collection agency reports it to the credit bureau....it will stay on your credit report.

Even if you decide to pay it later, thinking it will then show as a good account on you credit report...WRONG...it will ALWAYS remain a negative.

Sometimes certain places when applying for credit will overlook medical bill issues...they will sometimes tell you when applying for credit that they are not concerned with the unpaid medical bills....BUT that depends on what your applying for!

Of course you should not pay for anything you are not satisfied with, especially when it comes to medical expenses. Talk to the hospital accounting department or a case manager within the hospital to plea your case. You'll be surprised how they can altar the amount due when forced too.
Good luck!!!

Answer 3

yes, unpaid medical bills affect your credit rating, but not as bad as you might think. unpaid medical bills in collection may become part of the public record, but the negative impact of that information accounts for only about 15% of the total factors that your credit score is based on.

check out www.myfico.com for the complete breakdown on credit scoring. they have lots of good information that will help you.

in your case, if you actually had tests performed then you may be liable for the full bill or any portion that your insurance hasnt paid. if you feel that there are errors on the bill or if you believe that there are charges for tests that werent performed, then you could opt, at your own expense, to have your billing audited by a state certified independent medical billing auditor. if errors are present, your only recourse is to countersue for the reduction and be ready to pay the portion you legitimately owe if it goes to court.

in the event of non-payment, the outstanding billing can be sent to collection and you could potentially be sued and garnished.

you could also let it go to collection and elect not to pay. if they billing department doesnt legally pursue you, then after 7 years the debt is forgive in most states.

Answer 4

When you don't pay a bill, the delinquency, and eventually, the default are reported to the major credit reporting agencies. Since these are the folks who are responsible for calculating your 'credit score', they will certainly incorporate any delinquencies and/or defaults into the scoring formula.

However, you do have the right to place a statement in your credit history that details your dispute with any potentially "inaccurate" information contained in the report. The agency is responsible for investigating any items that you question - unless they consider your dispute "frivolous". Once their investigation is complete, the credit agency must provide you with a written report of their findings. If the investigation does not resolve the dispute, you have the right to ask that the agency place a statement (from you) into your credit history file, and they must include that statement in future reports. You can also ask that they contact anyone who has recently received your report, updating the file with your newly-provided statement. You would generally be responsible for paying for any retroactive notice to prior potential creditors.

All of the information (and more) is contained in the Federal Trade Commission topic "How to Dispute Credit Report Errors" - I've linked it below.

Good luck!

Answer 5

medical clinics are not typical credit reporting members thus they alone do not have resources to hurt your credit ratings.
However they may send your bill to third party collection agency who may be a member and thereby affect your credit.
You can either paythe bills or take them to small claims court to see if the amount can be adjusted.

Answer 6

Dispute the debt in writing. It is important that you do it in writing and not over the phone.

You mention that 'they refuse to adjust it'. I take this to mean that you agree with some of the charges.

If this is the case, submit a letter that explains your dispute and that you are willing to pay the undisputed portion under the condition that they send you a revised bill that will reflect 'Payment In Full'.

DO NOT accept any agreement over the phone!

It will be to your advantage to explain in your letter that you are more than willing to cooperate.

It is imperative that you receive all agreements in writing.

Review the link below to find out why.

Don't let this go. Since your account is still with the clinic, you stand a much better chance to succeed in settling this account.

God Bless.

Answer 7

Definitely yes it will affect your rating. Everytime a potential landlord, employer or credit issuer who runs a credit check will see all of your unpaid (uncollected) bills.

Answer 8

absolutely. Normally medical providers don't have the time nor the desire to do all the work to report it to the credit bureaus. So they will sell the debt to a collection agency who will immediately report the unpaid balance and the collection activity to the credit bureaus which will hurt your credit MORE than just a typical creditor.

Answer 9

It could end up on your credit report if the outstanding bill gets turned over to a collection agency. The agency will give you one warning first just to give you the opportunity to pay the bill before they actually contact the credit bureaus - then it goes onto your credit report.

Answer 10

It depends. If it's for a mortgage loan, then no. They don't count the medical stuff. But it could affect other creditors decision.

Best bet is to try and work it out in some way. Maybe talk to the Dr (or his/her manager) that ordered up the test for you to see if they could talk to them. We've had that experience with my mom and fortunately it worked out.

Answer 11

medical bills aren't supposed to affect your credit. tell them how much you can afford each month (some small amount), and then pay that amount every month, without fail. that way you spread the pain over a long period of time.