Medical bills in collection are a serious, but common problem. In fact, over half of all collection accounts on credit reports are due to healthcare related bills! If you are experiencing this problem, you may be able to get free or low cost legal advice on medical debt collection. Learn more on this page.
If you have medical bills you are having trouble paying, or you believe are wrong, you probably are wondering, “What are my rights?”
If you are contacted by a debt collector, keep in mind that medical debts are treated like any other kind of debt under the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. Your state may have its own law that applies to the collector, or the collection of medical debts, as well.
Under federal law, the debt collector must send you written notice of the debt, verify the debt if you dispute it, and avoid unfair or deceptive collection tactics.
If the collection agency breaks the law, you may be entitled to damages and the collector may have to pay your attorney’s fees as well. For this reason, and assuming you have a strong case, some consumer law attorneys will represent you at no cost to you.
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How to Handle Medical Collection Problems
Our medical billing system is broken, and it creates huge problems for many Americans. Here are some resources if you are dealing with these issues:
Start Here: Read about medical debt collection
Answers to Questions about Medical Debt Collection
Please read our page about medical debt collection and peruse the questions below for answers to your question.
If you still have a question about medical debt collection, we recommend you reach out to the following places for help:
- If a third-party debt collector (not the medical provider itself) is harassing you about a medical debt, contact a consumer law attorney for a free consultation.
- Reach out to state government agencies. Try your state attorney general’s office and your state insurance department. Ask them for help.
Update: We have closed this form to new questions
We have received a flood of questions about medical bill disputes and we are simply unable to answer all of them. Please use the resources on this site. We apologize! It’s clear the medical billing system does not work for many people.