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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