A new study has shown that having health insurance coverage does not necessarily protect consumers from accumulating medical debt, according to a Health Behavior News Service report.
In 2010, approximately 40 percent of Americans struggled to pay medical bills, up from 4 percent in 2005. The new study, which appears in the August issue of the American Journal of Public Health, used data from the 2008 Arizona Health Survey of 4,200 state households. The survey examined whether households were struggling to pay medical bills, if participants had delayed medical care and if participants suffered from chronic health conditions.
The study focused on adults ages 19-64. According to the report, nearly 27 percent of insured households reported difficulty paying medical bills. For those who had been uninsured in the past year but now had coverage, 43 percent reported difficulty paying medical bills.
Read the Health Behavior News Service report on the health insurance study.
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In 2010, approximately 40 percent of Americans struggled to pay medical bills, up from 4 percent in 2005. The new study, which appears in the August issue of the American Journal of Public Health, used data from the 2008 Arizona Health Survey of 4,200 state households. The survey examined whether households were struggling to pay medical bills, if participants had delayed medical care and if participants suffered from chronic health conditions.
The study focused on adults ages 19-64. According to the report, nearly 27 percent of insured households reported difficulty paying medical bills. For those who had been uninsured in the past year but now had coverage, 43 percent reported difficulty paying medical bills.
Read the Health Behavior News Service report on the health insurance study.
Related Articles on Coding, Billing and Collections:
10 Tactics to Increase Surgery Center Patient Collections Immediately
Medicare Proposes 0.9% ASC Fee Increase, Linking Payments to Quality
Colorado Health Agency Loses Records for 3,590 Medical Aid Applicants