Medical Debt and Your New York Credit Report

Medical debt is not a sign of financial irresponsibility; it is a sign of being human. Recognizing this, New York has enacted some of the strongest medical debt protections in the nation.

The Reporting Ban

In New York, hospitals and healthcare providers are effectively barred from reporting medical debt to the credit bureaus. This means that an unpaid emergency room bill or a disputed co-pay should not appear on your credit report and should not drag down your score.

Federal Changes

Even at the federal level, the three major bureaus have voluntarily agreed to remove:

• Paid medical debt.
• Medical debt under $500.
• Unpaid medical debt less than one year old.

Litigation Strategy

If you see a medical collection on your credit report:

1. Dispute It: Send a dispute to the bureaus citing the New York public health law and the FCRA.
2. Sue the Collector: If a debt collector is furnishing this information to the bureaus in violation of New York law, they are violating the FDCPA (Fair Debt Collection Practices Act) by threatening to take action that cannot legally be taken.
3. Clean Your Report: We use these laws to force the permanent deletion of medical tradelines, restoring your score to where it should be.