In Illinois, medical debt is no longer allowed to appear on credit reports.

Starting January 2025, credit reporting agencies cannot put medical debt on your credit report. They also cannot keep old medical debt information in your file. This includes bills that were sent to collections for health care services, like hospital visits, doctor bills, or medical devices.

What this means for you

If you have unpaid medical debt in Illinois:

• Your medical debt should not appear on your credit report, and
• Your medical debt should not lower your credit score.

Keep in mind, medical debt does not go away just because it is not on your credit report. You may still owe the money, and providers or collectors may still contact you about payment.

What to do if you see medical debt on your credit report

Tell the credit reporting agencies to remove the medical debt on your credit report, and

Talk to a consumer debt lawyer if the credit reporting agencies don't remove the medical debt from your credit report because they may be violating the law.

You can also submit a complaint to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Illinois Attorney General's Office.  

Uncertainty about the future of the Illinois law

There is some uncertainty right now whether federal law could override the Illinois law. In October 2025, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said that the Fair Credit Reporting Act (a federal law) may not allow states to ban medical debt from credit reports. This alone does not make the Illinois law change. To change Illinois law, the federal government would have to take Illinois to court and a judge would have to decide to overturn the Illinois law.