Based on your financial expertise, provide your response or viewpoint on the given financial question or topic. The response format is open.

Might it make sense not to look into debt that is in collections?
It's your business to pay what you owe but it's not your business to determine what you owe.  The "Fair Debt Collections Practices act" FDCPA proscribes certain steps creditors must go through to contact you.  You appear to not have received any active contact or demand, but you can still cite the FDCPA to make it their problem. Write to the creditor's address (I assume its the hospital, the OP isn't clear), use USPS Certified Mail Return Receipt Requested, asking them to validate that you owe this debt by mail in 5 days, as is your right under the FDCPA.   If they get back to you and you agree (or its reasonably plausible) you do owe it, pay it especially if it's on the order of $100.  At least you will know it is settled at the source.  Cross reference to your insurance claims to be sure its not double billed or a miscredited copay, but you may see many legit separate charges from one ER visit (hospital,  doctor, anesthesiologist,  etc) and it would not be the first time a medical billing system crapped the bed. If you don't hear anything after a few weeks, use the credit report protest process (or write to them, cc: the Federal Trade Commission) contesting the validity of this report.  The creditor did not respond to your FDCPA request for validation (copy of the Return Receipt); and you otherwise believe you are current with the hospital.  Per the Fair Credit Reporting act,  they must investigate.  Fight bureaucratic fire with fire: conduct all business by mail, and make liberal use of certified mail return receipts.  Its a $6 way to telegraph you know that they have specific federal law timeliness requirements; and you have a federal timestamp signed by someone in their organization.