But, people with disabilities, those in worse health, and poor or near-poor adults are more likely to owe significant medical debt. Medical debt occurs across demographic groups. owe over $1,000 in medical debt and 3 million people (1% of adults) owe medical debt of more than $10,000. Approximately 16 million people (6% of adults) in the U.S. The SIPP survey suggests people in the United States owe at least $195 billion in medical debt. We find that 23 million people (nearly 1 in 10 adults) owe significant medical debt. We focus on people with over $250 in medical debt, a threshold we define as “significant” medical debt to distinguish from people who owe relatively small amounts. Here, we analyze medical debt at the individual level for adults who reported owing over $250 in unpaid medical bills as of December 2019. A recent Census Bureau analysis on medical debt at the household level found 17% of households owed medical debt in 2019. In this brief, we analyze data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) to understand how many people have medical debt and how much they owe. People with medical debt report cutting spending on food, clothing, and other household items, spending down their savings to pay for medical bills, borrowing money from friends or family members, or taking on additional debts. High deductibles and other forms of cost sharing can contribute to individuals receiving medical bills that they are unable to pay, despite being insured. People living with cancer, for example, have higher levels of debt than individuals who have never had cancer. For people with significant medical needs, medical debt may build up over time. For people and families with limited assets, even a relatively small unexpected medical expense can be unaffordable. Despite over 90% of the United States population having some form of health insurance, medical debt remains a persistent problem.
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