According to a new investigation an estimated 100 million Americans carry medical debt

According to a new report by the Kaiser Family Foundation an estimated 41% of Americans or about 100 million adults have some form of health care debt. The medical debt that Americans owe ranges from under $500 (16%) to $10,000 or more (12%). As of 2019, Americans carried over $195 billion in medical debt. The largest amount of unexpected medical bills typically arise from out-of-network providers being involved in patient care. 

Approximately 15% of people with medical debt say they have been denied access to a hospital, doctor's office, or another provider because of unpaid bills. According to a June 16, 2022 Kaiser Health News article by Noam N. Levey: "Medical debt is piling additional hardships on people with cancer and other chronic illnesses. Debt levels in U.S. counties with the highest rates of disease can be three or four times what they are in the healthiest counties, according to an Urban Institute analysis. 

Compared to other forms of consumer debt, medical bills are difficult to predict and prevent. Dr. Rishi Manchanda, a physician in California, was interviewed for the Kaiser Health article by Levey. "Debt is no longer just a bug in our system. It is one of the main products. We have a health care system almost perfectly designed to create debt," Manchanda says.

Sources:

"100 million people in America are saddled with medical debt," by Noam N. Levey. June 16, 2022. 100 million people in America are saddled with medical debt | The Texas Tribune

"100 million adults have health-care debt - and 12% of them owe $10,000 or more," by Sarah O'Brien. June 22, 2022. 100 million adults have health-care debt, and 12% owe $10,000 or more (cnbc.com)  


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