anon ultimately i don't know your life but i don't think this approach to bills is... uh... well at minimum i don't think i'd suggest this to other people as an approach to rely on.
(for people who are legit in poverty, though, it's worth noting that you can in fact tell that to hospitals and benefit from their financial assistance programs. in some cases this will indeed see the vast majority of the bill waived. there are absolutely options—my wife has helped out struggling friends with this a lot—but "just don't pay and take no further steps" is nnnnot a good idea, and the consequences once it does hit your credit can be extremely bad. at that point paying it off does not fully undo the damage. you really do not want the "find out" part of "fuck around and," here.)
Thank you for saying this. Ayrt can do whatever they want I guess but for the rest of the viewers of this comm it's good to get the info out of why that habit can have really bad consequences so the more impressionable ppl here don't get the wrong idea
i'm not saying it's the best advice... but i AM saying it can work. you can definitely kick the can down the road wrt medical debt, and maybe it'll fall in a ditch and you can just keep it fuckin pushing. if money is tight, and it probably is, you do what you must.
there ARE definitely other routes you can try first, yes, like using in-house financial assistance programs. generally those folks are very kind and understanding. and i will also add, that there is peace of mind in knowing there isn't some lingering debt that may be hanging over you (but maybe the peace of mind of money in your pocket is better).
but if you're past all that and get a collections notice for an ER visit from 2.5 years ago when you were too fucking sick to be asking about financial assistance this or patient advocacy that, or you get utterly fed up with the back and forth of arguing with an insurance rep to submit the fucking claim correctly so you can pay what you're supposed to pay instead of the four figure bill they wanna saddle you with... google the statute of limitations on medical debt for your state.
yes, they can sue, BUT the statute of limitations is 3-10 years depending on the state. doesn't mean they won't TRY to sue past that timeframe, just means you do not respond or make any payments as that resets the clock on the statue of limitations. and if they bring it to court, you can use the statue of limitations to get the suit tossed.
obviously that's it's own cost, but depending on the size of the medical bill, it may be worth it if you can get assistance with legal fees or you use a service like ARAG or Metlife legal to fully cover attorney fees (but NOT filing fees). YMMV based on availability of attorneys in your area & their willingness to handle your specific issue, etc.
anyway,
"starting March 31, 2023, the credit reporting agencies will no longer include medical collections under $500 on your credit report" https://www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/medical-debt-and-your-credit-score/
"Effective July 1, 2022, paid medical collection debt is no longer included on U.S. consumer credit reports." https://www.equifax.com/personal/education/credit/score/articles/-/learn/can-medical-debt-impact-credit-scores/
"The CFPB’s action will ban the inclusion of medical bills on credit reports used by lenders and prohibit lenders from using medical information in their lending decisions. " https://www.consumerfinance.gov/about-us/newsroom/cfpb-finalizes-rule-to-remove-medical-bills-from-credit-reports/
same thing here: "The rule has two main parts: 1. Medical bills are banned from credit reports. This also includes medical debt that is in collections. The CFPB says it wants consumers to no longer be coerced by debt collectors into paying bills due to fear of harm to their credit. 2. Lenders are prohibited from considering medical debt when making decisions. Medical debt is not a realistic predictor of a person's "creditworthiness," or ability to pay back debt, according to CFPB research.
This new rule will go into effect 60 days after it enters the Federal Register. "
"Medical bills that have been paid will not appear on your credit reports or impact your credit scores. [...] Paid medical collections were erased from credit reports in July 2022 and are no longer reported by the three major U.S. credit bureaus. " https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/finance/medical-bills-on-credit-report
i will add a caveat that we are now under a different presidential admin and i suppose maybe they can roll back the CFPB ruling as it's not yet in effect? however, medical debt under $500 not being reported, and paid medical debt being removed, were already in place from 2022/2023.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
Re: Obligatory G1 Imp Salt
(Anonymous) 2025-01-26 04:00 pm (UTC)(link)well at minimum i don't think i'd suggest this to other people as an approach to rely on.
(for people who are legit in poverty, though, it's worth noting that you can in fact tell that to hospitals and benefit from their financial assistance programs. in some cases this will indeed see the vast majority of the bill waived. there are absolutely options—my wife has helped out struggling friends with this a lot—but "just don't pay and take no further steps" is nnnnot a good idea, and the consequences once it does hit your credit can be extremely bad. at that point paying it off does not fully undo the damage. you really do not want the "find out" part of "fuck around and," here.)
Re: Obligatory G1 Imp Salt
(Anonymous) 2025-01-26 05:46 pm (UTC)(link)Thank you for saying this. Ayrt can do whatever they want I guess but for the rest of the viewers of this comm it's good to get the info out of why that habit can have really bad consequences so the more impressionable ppl here don't get the wrong idea
Re: Obligatory G1 Imp Salt
(Anonymous) 2025-01-29 03:42 am (UTC)(link)i'm not saying it's the best advice... but i AM saying it can work. you can definitely kick the can down the road wrt medical debt, and maybe it'll fall in a ditch and you can just keep it fuckin pushing. if money is tight, and it probably is, you do what you must.
there ARE definitely other routes you can try first, yes, like using in-house financial assistance programs. generally those folks are very kind and understanding. and i will also add, that there is peace of mind in knowing there isn't some lingering debt that may be hanging over you (but maybe the peace of mind of money in your pocket is better).
but if you're past all that and get a collections notice for an ER visit from 2.5 years ago when you were too fucking sick to be asking about financial assistance this or patient advocacy that, or you get utterly fed up with the back and forth of arguing with an insurance rep to submit the fucking claim correctly so you can pay what you're supposed to pay instead of the four figure bill they wanna saddle you with... google the statute of limitations on medical debt for your state.
yes, they can sue, BUT the statute of limitations is 3-10 years depending on the state. doesn't mean they won't TRY to sue past that timeframe, just means you do not respond or make any payments as that resets the clock on the statue of limitations. and if they bring it to court, you can use the statue of limitations to get the suit tossed.
obviously that's it's own cost, but depending on the size of the medical bill, it may be worth it if you can get assistance with legal fees or you use a service like ARAG or Metlife legal to fully cover attorney fees (but NOT filing fees). YMMV based on availability of attorneys in your area & their willingness to handle your specific issue, etc.
anyway,
"starting March 31, 2023, the credit reporting agencies will no longer include medical collections under $500 on your credit report"
https://www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/medical-debt-and-your-credit-score/
"Effective July 1, 2022, paid medical collection debt is no longer included on U.S. consumer credit reports."
https://www.equifax.com/personal/education/credit/score/articles/-/learn/can-medical-debt-impact-credit-scores/
"The CFPB’s action will ban the inclusion of medical bills on credit reports used by lenders and prohibit lenders from using medical information in their lending decisions. " https://www.consumerfinance.gov/about-us/newsroom/cfpb-finalizes-rule-to-remove-medical-bills-from-credit-reports/
same thing here:
"The rule has two main parts:
1. Medical bills are banned from credit reports. This also includes medical debt that is in collections. The CFPB says it wants consumers to no longer be coerced by debt collectors into paying bills due to fear of harm to their credit.
2. Lenders are prohibited from considering medical debt when making decisions. Medical debt is not a realistic predictor of a person's "creditworthiness," or ability to pay back debt, according to CFPB research.
This new rule will go into effect 60 days after it enters the Federal Register. "
"Medical bills that have been paid will not appear on your credit reports or impact your credit scores. [...] Paid medical collections were erased from credit reports in July 2022 and are no longer reported by the three major U.S. credit bureaus. "
https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/finance/medical-bills-on-credit-report
Re: Obligatory G1 Imp Salt
(Anonymous) 2025-01-29 03:51 am (UTC)(link)i will add a caveat that we are now under a different presidential admin and i suppose maybe they can roll back the CFPB ruling as it's not yet in effect? however, medical debt under $500 not being reported, and paid medical debt being removed, were already in place from 2022/2023.