Do medical bills affect my credit and where I do find out what’s in my medical payment history?

You can get free copies of your reports every 12 months from many of the specialty consumer reporting agencies. Keep in mind that not every agency will have information on everyone, and that some consumer reporting agencies may be able to charge you a fee for your report. You have to request the reports individually from each reporting agency. We’ve put together a list of some of these specialty consumer reporting agencies, along with information about how you can obtain copies of your reports.

Consumer reporting agencies, including specialty agencies, must also give you a free copy of your consumer report upon request if you have received an “adverse action” notice.

For example, if an insurance company turns you down for a life insurance policy based on a consumer report, that would be an “adverse action.” The insurance company must provide you with an “adverse action” notice that includes the name and contact information of the consumer reporting agency from which the insurance company got the consumer report.

You have the right to get a free report from the consumer reporting agency identified in an “adverse action” notice. Review the report to see what information the consumer reporting agency has on file about your medical history. If you spot any errors, you can then ask that they be corrected.