Medical Debt Attorney - Stop Illegal Billing

Effective 2022, the No Surprises Act bans "surprise billing" for emergency services. This means:

• Emergency Room: You cannot be billed at out-of-network rates for emergency care, even if the hospital or doctor is out-of-network.
• In-Network Facilities: If you go to an in-network hospital, out-of-network providers (like anesthesiologists or radiologists) cannot send you a surprise bill for the balance.
• Good Faith Estimate: If you are uninsured, you must be given a "Good Faith Estimate" of costs before scheduled treatment.

Medical debt is treated differently than other debt. The credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion) have agreed to strict rules:

1. The 1-Year Waiting Period

Unpaid medical debt cannot be reported to credit bureaus until it is at least 365 days past due. This gives you time to resolve insurance issues.

2. Paid Debt Must Be Removed

Once a medical debt is paid (or settled), it must be completely removed from your credit report. It cannot stay there as a "paid collection."

3. Debts Under $500

Medical collections under $500 should generally not appear on your credit report at all.

If a debt collector or credit bureau violates these rules, we can sue them under the FCRA to fix your credit and get you compensation.

Debt collectors often ignore the rules when it comes to medical bills. Watch out for:

• Balance Billing: Trying to collect the difference between what the doctor charged and what insurance paid (often illegal for in-network care).
• HIPAA Violations: Revealing your private medical details to your employer, family, or neighbors while trying to collect a debt.
• Harassment: Calling you non-stop, threatening to garnish your wages without a court order, or lying about the legal status of the debt.