Consumer complaint received 2025-07-24 00:00:00
Product: Debt collection — Medical debt
Issue: Took or threatened to take negative or legal action — Threatened or suggested your credit would be damaged
Company: Williams, Rush & Associates, LLC
State: TX

Complaint narrative:
RE : Collection account from -William Rush & Associates XXXX {$880.00} XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX, Texas XXXX XXXX From : XXXX XXXX This is on my credit and I keep getting calls threatening me. 

1. There are 3 points in which this collection is null and void and I will share those with you here. This account was opened in XXXX and I was a minor at that time. 
AS A XXXX  I WAS NOT LEGALLY ABLE TO CONSENT TO MEDICAL CARE so this should not be on my report. 

2. This company XXXX XXXX Filed bankruptcy. They have closed down and I am unable to reach them or get products and services as they are not in operation. Many lawsuits have been filed on them for this. I was not able to receive care nor did I receive full retainers, treatments and visits, they broke their contract. 

3. This is medical debt that I wasn't even aware of and should be removed from my credit reports. 

-- XXXX XXXX legislation dictates that a minors parent ( s ) or legal guardian ( s ) are responsible for paying said minors medical bills. This means, as many would rightly assume, that a minor bears no responsibility for paying off debts incurred by medical procedures, treatments, or medications that they might need.

A minor can not enter into a legal contract because they do not have the capacity to consent to such a binding agreement. This means that requiring a person to pay medical bills accumulated when they were a child is unethical and legally unsound because that child never entered into the contract, their parents did. Thus, they can not now be required to uphold a contract to which they did not consent. Furthermore, because minors are not legally permitted to enter into binding legal contracts, debt collection agencies can not demand payment from someone who was a minor when the debt was incurred.

Per FDCPA- Under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, debt collection attempts that are not legally sanctioned can not be enforced.

Since the transferral of a minors medical debt from the parents to the now-adult child is not legally allowed, debt collectors are not entitled to attempt this type of collection.

Many legal requirements regarding health-related issues apply to minors. Under Texas law, a patient is considered a minor if he or she is younger than 18, has never been married, and has not been legally declared an emancipated minor ( Texas Family Code, 101.003 ).

Texas Family Code 101.003 ; 31.001-31.007 ; 32.003-004 ; 32.202 ; Texas Civil Practices & Remedies Code 129.00 including medical care.

Texas Family Code Section 151.001 regarding consent and parental rights : Consent to Medical and Dental Care : Parents have the right to consent to their child 's medical, dental, and surgical treatment, including immunizations. In cases of immediate danger to the child 's health and safety, parents can consent to medical treatment.

Minor Consent : Generally, minors can not consent to medical treatment in Texas, but there are exceptions based on the minor 's status ( e.g., being married and pregnant or a parent ) this type of service which did not apply to me.

Texas Law Texas Health & Safety Code, Chapter 185 This chapter requires health care providers to provide specific information to patients before their medical debt can be sent to a collection agency.

SB 1264, 86th Legislature This bill, which became law on XX/XX/XXXX, added and amended many sections of the Texas Insurance Code to protect consumers from surprise medical bills.

Federal Law No Surprises Act ( HR 133, 116th Congress ) Title I of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of XXXX contains the text of the federal " No Surprises Act. '' This law created protections against balance billing and surprise balance bills. 
Federal Regulations In XXXX the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau ( CFPB ) finalized a federal rule to prohibit the use of medical debt in credit reports. 
Prohibition on Creditors and Consumer Reporting Agencies Concerning Medical Information ( Regulation V ) The text of the CFPB 's final rule on prohibiting medical debt from appearing on credit reports.

12 CFR Part 1022 In 2025, sections 1022.3, 1022.30, and 1022.38 of this rule were amended to remove medical debts from credit reports.

CFPB Finalizes Rule to Remove Medical Bills from Credit Reports This news article from CFPB reports on the CFPB 's final rule to prohibit medical debt from appearing on credit reports.

Medical Debt Struck From Credit Reports Under Final CFPB Rule ( Bloomberg Law ) Per FDCPA- Under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act ( more commonly referred to as the FDCPA ), debt collection attempts that are not legally sanctioned can not be enforced.

Company public response: Company believes complaint represents an opportunity for improvement to better serve consumers
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation