As of October 2026, there's no federal rule banning medical debt from credit reports. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) January 2025 rule that would have removed it was vacated by a federal court on July 11, 2025, and never took effect. What still applies are the three credit bureaus' own policies: paid medical collections and medical collections with an initial balance under $500 don't appear on credit reports, and unpaid medical collections wait one year before they can be reported.
What happened to the CFPB's medical debt rule?
On January 7, 2025, the CFPB issued a final rule that would have stopped credit reporting companies from including medical debt on credit reports and stopped lenders from considering it.
The rule was challenged in court. The CFPB's own page says that on July 11, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas vacated the rule, at the joint request of the Bureau and the plaintiffs in Cornerstone Credit Union League v. CFPB. The court agreed the rule went beyond the Bureau's authority under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). The CFPB now says its materials about the rule are "for reference only."
So if you read in early 2025 that medical bills were coming off credit reports, that change did not happen.
What do the credit bureaus do with medical debt now?
Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion made voluntary changes in 2022 and 2023. According to their joint announcement and Equifax's current help page:
- Paid medical collections are no longer included on credit reports (since July 1, 2022).
- Unpaid medical collections don't appear until they're one year old (up from six months).
- Medical collections with an initial reported balance under $500 are not included on credit reports (since April 2023).
These are policies of the bureaus. They aren't federal law, and the bureaus could change them. As of this writing, Equifax's help page still describes them as current.
Equifax also notes that most health care providers don't report directly to the three bureaus, so most medical bills you owe directly to a doctor or hospital don't typically show up on credit reports unless they go to collections.
What about state laws on medical debt?
A number of states have passed laws limiting medical debt on credit reports. Their effect is now uncertain. In October 2025, the CFPB published an interpretive rule stating its view that the FCRA broadly preempts state laws in this area. An interpretive rule is the agency's reading of the law, and courts decide how it applies to a particular state's statute. Lawsuits over some state laws are ongoing.
If you live in a state with its own medical debt law, check with your state attorney general's office or consumer protection agency for the current status.
How do I check whether medical debt is on my credit report?
You can get free credit reports from all three bureaus at AnnualCreditReport.com, the official site for free reports. Look for collection accounts labeled as medical, or a collection agency name you don't recognize.
Then check each one:
- Is it under $500 originally? It shouldn't be there under the bureaus' policy.
- Is it paid? Paid medical collections shouldn't be listed.
- Is it less than a year old? Unpaid medical collections shouldn't appear before one year.
- Do you owe it at all? Compare with your Medicare Summary Notice (MSN) and the original bill.