Credit reporting agencies to implement certain medical debt protections

The nation’s three leading credit reporting agencies have agreed to wait 180 days before reporting medical debt on a consumer’s credit report and to remove the debt from the report after it’s paid by insurance, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced this week. The national action is part of a settlement that will require the agencies – Equifax, Experian and TransUnion – to implement a number of consumer protections. Medical debts often result from insurance coverage delays or disputes, and may not accurately reflect consumers’ creditworthiness, the settlement notes. For more on the changes, visit www.cdiaonline.org.