More than one in three American adults has medical debt, survey finds

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Medical debt is a growing burden among Americans, with more than one in three American adults having a balance, according to a 2021 Healthcare.com survey.

The results also revealed that more than 6 in 10 adults with overdue bills received care knowing they could not cover the costs, and more than half of the balances exceeded $ 1,000.

“There are so many millions of people affected by medical debt, and it’s a growing problem,” said Jeff Smedsrud, co-founder and president of insurance for HealthCare.com.

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These results correspond to a 2021 Commonwealth Fund survey showing that more than a third of insured adults and half of uninsured adults reported a problem with their medical bill or were paying off health care debts.

This is an increase from 19% of households with medical debt in 2017, according to Census Bureau data.

What’s more, the results show that many Americans are racking up medical debt despite having health insurance, with patients saying their plans either did not cover certain services or that they used out-of-network providers.

“People don’t realize that even though their specific provider may be networked, the doctor or anesthesiologist may not be,” Smedsrud said. “And it’s not something you would normally think of.”

We negotiate every day. But there is a stigma when it comes to medical expenses.

Jeff Smedsrud

co-founder and president of insurance for HealthCare.com

Indeed, for Americans in large employer plans, 18% of emergency visits had at least one off-grid load in 2017, according to a report from the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Other common issues for insured Americans were high deductibles or coinsurance, or the percentage of covered services that a patient pays.

Bargaining power

Despite the high percentages of patients accumulating medical debt, the results show that less than half try to negotiate the fees.

“We all negotiate every day,” said Smedsrud. “But there is a stigma when it comes to medical expenses.”

Patients can ask providers for an itemized bill, check for errors, and compare each cost to estimates from websites such as Healthcare Bluebook or FAIR Health Consumer.

“Check the accuracy of your statement and remember you may be able to negotiate a discount,” Smedsrud said.

And some vendors may also be willing to set up a payment plan. But it is essential to respond quickly after receiving an invoice, he added.

“The worst thing you can do is ignore the match,” Smedsrud said.

HealthCare.com conducted this survey from October 29 to November 1 among 2,852 U.S. adults aged 18 and older, broken down by age, gender, and U.S. region, based on the Community Survey of the Census Bureau.

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