Can Medical Bills Go To Collections?

Dealing with an injury or illness is hard enough, but the medical bills could last longer than the illness they stemmed from. And adding insult to (perhaps literal) injury, those bills are rarely small and affordable.

Indeed, medical debt is all too common. If you're struggling to cover your medical bills, you're definitely not alone. More than 40% of Americans reported having medical debt in 2022, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

So what happens to those big medical bills if you can't pay them? The quick answer is they could end up in collections. But what happens after that depends on a lot of factors.

Can Medical Bills Go to Collections?

Yes, medical bills that go unpaid for too long can wind up in collections. But it doesn't happen right away. In fact, there’s often a pretty big gap between when you receive a bill and when an unpaid bill goes to collections. 

Most medical bills have a payment deadline of 30 to 90 days after they're issued. If you don't pay your bill during this time, you may get a follow-up bill or reminder, but that doesn't mean your creditor has sent your debt to collections. 

Experian reports that creditors don't usually sell medical debt to a collection agency unless your payment is 60 to 120 past due. So let's say you get a medical bill on January 1st with a March 1st deadline, and you don't pay. That bill may not go to collections until May 1st or later.

How Medical Debt Impacts Your Credit Scores

A medical bill going to collections may not mean immediate damage to your credit. The three major credit bureaus—Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion—stopped including medical collections accounts on credit reports for debts under $500 in 2023. Additionally, the three credit bureaus no longer include medical debts that are paid, or unpaid medical debts less than a year old.

In early 2025, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau finalized a rule to prevent all medical debt from appearing on credit reports. However, a federal judge overturned that rule a few months later. 

Some states, however, have rules in place that do not allow medical debt to appear on credit reports. Those states include:

• California

• Colorado

• Connecticut

• Delaware

• Illinois

• Maine

• Maryland

• Minnesota

• Oregon

• New Jersey

• New York

• Rhode Island

• Vermont

• Virginia

• Washington

How to Prevent Medical Bills from Going to Collections

You may be able to avoid having your medical debt go to collections in the first place. Here are a few tips.

Review each bill carefully

Medical billing errors aren't uncommon. Sometimes, all it takes is for a provider to enter the wrong code for your insurance company to deny a claim, or for you to get a bill larger than what it should really be. 

Review each bill you receive carefully. Make certain you're being charged for services you actually received, and that you weren't charged for the same service more than once.

Also review your bills against your insurance company's records. If you're billed for something but don't see a claim pending, paid, or denied with your insurer, contact your provider to make sure it was submitted to the right insurance company.

If there are inconsistencies with your bill, or you believe it wasn't submitted to insurance properly, contact your provider and ask them to put your account on hold while things are sorted out. That may reset the clock on when your bill is due. 

Try to negotiate

Healthcare providers know that paying medical bills can be a struggle—particularly if you’re without insurance. If you have a bill you can't manage, contact the billing department and see if you can negotiate your balance down to a lower amount. 

Your providers may work with you, especially if you don't have insurance, or if you have a deductible you can't afford. If you end up with a smaller balance, you may be able to pay it in full, avoiding collections.

Get onto a payment plan

Many hospitals and healthcare offices offer payment plans, including interest-free options. If you can keep up with your payments, your bill shouldn't go to collections. 

If you can’t keep up with your payments, it's not a given that your bills will go to collections. But to prevent that, be proactive. Contact the provider's office and explain that you're having trouble paying. They may work with you so your bill isn't sent to collections. 

Many nonprofit hospitals provide charity care or financial assistance to patients who meet eligibility criteria. Ask the hospital about these programs.

Also, explore payment plan options before charging medical bills on a credit card. With a payment plan, you might avoid interest—whereas with a credit card, you may be looking at an exorbitant interest rate if you don't pay off your balance right away. 

The Bottom Line

If you're struggling with medical debt and don't see yourself shedding it completely, help may be available. A debt relief company could help you negotiate unsecured debt down to less than what you owe. It could pay to explore your options for relief, especially if you're juggling medical bills on top of other debts.