Old medical bill from 2011 reported 2017

[Anonymous]

Hello,

Please bear with me on this... I will try to get to the point here with some small background.  

Back in 2011 I was in some very tuff times.  Not a high paying job and no medical benefits. I needed hospital care.  I was told I would be covered under low income with Cleveland Clinic.  Fast Forward, I finally for a good position and decent income in the last year. I have been trying to rebuild my credit. I was at 770 before I fell into a bad slump of job situations. With just a few hits I was down to 559.  I was very discussed and upset.  You can spend a lifetime building credit and have it ruined with a couple negative claims.  I am back to 680 and it slowly keeps climbing.  However, I am beginning to notice odd claims here and there which are popping up.  

Recently, I looked at my credit report and noticed a new one added in 2017.  Said it was for $800 and was delinquent.. When I looked further into the account.  It said it was from 3 years 9 months ago.  Confused about it.  I called the collection agency.  We had a very polite conversation back and forth. She explained that actually the account was from 2011. So, I've asked her to send me whatever information they have.  She was wanting to settle the account for $400 right then.  I told her, I am sorry, but until I see what they send me.  I will not pay anything.  She agreed and said they would send that right out.  

Is this common and legit? To have a medical bill from 2011.. Report it in 2017 yet say the account is 3 years old?  Also, Ohio has a statutes of limitations on medical bills is 6 years.. I believe the account is just a couple months away from being 6 years old.  

[RobertEG]

Debt collectors have the right to conduct legitimate collection on debts that remain unpaid.

Neither expiration of SOL for bringing civil action nor credit report exclusion preclude continued efforts to collect on a delinquent debt, provided the debt collector complies with debt collection statutes and regs.

Expiration of SOL means the owner can no longer obtain a civil judgment ordering payment of the debt.

Expiration of credit report exclusion periods for various derogs reported to a CRA thereafter prevents the CRA from continuing to include the derogatory item in subsequent credit reports they issue.  It does not discharge the debt or preclude continued efforts to collect.

Debt collectors are required to provide the DOFD on the OC account to the CRA no later than 90 days after reporting their collection.

There is no period from DOFD within which they must report their collection.

Stated differently, they are not precluded from reporting years after the DOFD.

The CRA then uses that reported DOFD to determine the ultimate credit report exclusion date of the reported collection.

They must discontinue inclusion of the collection in any credit report they issue after 7 years plus 180 days from the reported DOFD.

They will normally exclude at approx. 7 years from DOFD, thus providing their own, routine early exclusion of the collection.