An accident brings medical bills fast — the emergency room, the ambulance, imaging, follow-up care. In an injury case, who ultimately pays those bills is often tied up for months while insurers, and sometimes lawyers, sort out liability, coordination of benefits, and subrogation. But the provider's balance does not wait. As it ages, it is frequently handed to a collection agency, and that is where a second problem begins: collection calls, and damage to your credit.
That second problem — the collectors and the credit reporting — is squarely what our firm handles. The injury claim itself is handled by the personal-injury attorney we refer you to.
When a Debt Collector Crosses the Line
The federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), 15 U.S.C. § 1692, sets rules third-party collectors must follow. A collector generally may not contact you at unusual or inconvenient times or places, may not harass or abuse you (§ 1692d), and may not use false or misleading representations (§ 1692e). If you tell a collector in writing to stop contacting you, it generally must (§ 1692c). And within five days of first contact, a collector must send a validation notice; if you dispute the debt in writing within 30 days, the collector must stop and mail you verification before continuing (§ 1692g).
If a collector is calling about accident-related medical bills and breaking these rules, that is a consumer-protection matter we can take on. Learn about debt-collector harassment claims →
Medical Bills and Your Credit Report
| Your situation | What applies in New York (2026) |
|---|---|
| Medical debt on your New York credit report | Generally prohibited under NY GBL § 380-j — with limited exceptions, such as medical debt charged to a general-purpose credit card. |
| Paid medical collections | Removed by the national credit bureaus since July 2022. |
| Unpaid medical collection under $500 | No longer reported by the national bureaus (since 2023). |
| A medical tradeline still showing on your NY report | May be a reporting error you can dispute under the FCRA — and that we can help fix. |
For the full picture — how New York’s medical-debt reporting law works, how to dispute a medical tradeline, and what you can recover if it is not fixed — see our detailed guide: Medical Debt on Your Credit Report in New York →
Medical debt is treated differently from most other debt on credit reports, and the rules have tightened in recent years:
- Since July 2022, the national credit bureaus (Equifax, Experian, TransUnion) remove paid medical collections and wait a full year before an unpaid medical collection can appear.
- Since 2023, medical collections with an initial balance under $500 are no longer reported — a change the bureaus said removed most medical collection entries.
- In New York, the Fair Medical Debt Reporting Act (General Business Law § 380-j), effective December 2023, goes further: it generally prohibits credit reporting agencies from reporting a New York consumer's medical debt, with limited exceptions such as medical debt charged to a general-purpose credit card. A companion provision of the same 2023 Act — Public Health Law § 4926 — also bars hospitals, licensed health professionals, and ambulance services from furnishing medical debt to the bureaus, and requires them to prohibit their collectors from doing so. Medical debt furnished in violation is void.
Because these protections exist, medical debt that shows up on your New York credit report — or that is inaccurate — may be reportable in error. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), 15 U.S.C. § 1681, you have the right to dispute inaccurate information, and the credit bureau must reasonably reinvestigate (§ 1681i). If it fails to correct verified errors, you may have a claim. Learn about credit-report error claims →
New York's Newer Protections for Medical Debt
New York has also limited how medical debt can be collected. Recent state law restricts hospitals from suing lower-income patients, requires financial-assistance screening before collection, caps certain interest, and prohibits wage garnishment for medical debt. These protections operate alongside the FDCPA and can matter a great deal while an injury claim is still pending.
How This Fits With Your Injury Claim
Think of it as two lanes running in parallel. The personal-injury attorney we refer you to pursues compensation for the injury itself — medical costs, lost income, pain and suffering. Meanwhile, our firm can address the consumer-protection fallout: stopping unlawful collection conduct and cleaning up medical debt that is being reported against you in violation of your rights. You get help on both fronts, from attorneys who each focus on their own lane.
Attorney AdvertisingAttorney Advertising. This page describes a referral service. Rausa Russo Law, PLLC does not handle personal injury cases and makes no representation regarding the quality of services provided by referred attorneys. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Referring a client does not create an attorney-client relationship for the referred matter.