Some of it. A 2025 CFPB rule banning medical debt from credit reports was vacated by a federal court in July 2025. The nationwide bureaus still voluntarily exclude paid medical collections, those under $500, and those less than a year old.
The rules for medical debt changed several times between 2022 and 2025, so a lot of information online is out of date.
The 2025 federal rule is not in effect
In January 2025, the CFPB finalized a rule that would have removed most medical bills from credit reports. On July 11, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas vacated that rule, as noted on the CFPB’s own archived announcement. As a result, there is currently no federal regulation that bans medical debt from credit reports.
What the nationwide bureaus still exclude
Separately from that rule, Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion made voluntary changes that the CFPB has described:
- Paid medical collections: removed from credit reports starting July 1, 2022.
- Waiting period: unpaid medical collection debt does not appear on a credit report for one year (up from 180 days).
- Under $500: unpaid medical collections under $500 were removed starting in April 2023.
These are company policies, not federal law, but if a bureau reports a medical collection that falls within them, you can dispute it. Note that a medical bill you put on a credit card is reported as credit card debt, not medical debt.
What can still appear
Unpaid medical collections of $500 or more that are at least a year old can still be reported, subject to the normal 7-year limit (which starts 180 days after the delinquency). Some states have also passed their own laws limiting medical debt reporting, so check your state’s rules.
Practical steps
- Check whether the bill was sent to insurance and whether insurance has paid or is still processing it.
- Ask the provider or collector for an itemized bill.
- Dispute medical collections that are paid, under $500, less than a year old, or not your debt.
If a medical collection is reporting inaccurately and disputes have not fixed it, a free case review can help, with no fee unless we win.
Related
Sources
- CFPB: CFPB finalizes rule to remove medical bills from credit reports (archived, with July 2025 vacatur note)
- CFPB: Medical debt already paid or under $500 should no longer be on your credit report
- CFPB: Recent changes to medical collections on consumer credit reports (March 2024)
- 15 U.S.C. § 1681c (Cornell LII)
Updated November 2026. This page is general information, not legal advice.