Nearly half of Americans swimming in medical debt — report

About 70 percent of households in the United States are struggling with their medical bills, says Hal M. Bundrick, a certified financial planner and regular contributor to MainStreet.com.

Advertisement

A more alarming fact from a recent report from Kaiser Family Foundation, shows that 48 percent of Americans would have to sell something or take out a loan to afford an emergency that cost them $400 or more.

The Kaiser study says that the average yearly deductible is three times that — $1,200 for an individual plan last year — and oftentimes ratchets up higher for those without employer sponsorship.

The Affordable Care Act capped out-of-pocket costs for individual consumers at $6,350, which increased this year to $6,600.

For more medical coding, billing and collections news:

Share of medical debt collection complaints go up
Steep costs of ICD-10 implementation; steep costs of ICD-10 delay
CoPatient co-fights billing discrepancies with consumers

At the Becker's 23rd Annual Spine, Orthopedic and Pain Management-Driven ASC + The Future of Spine Conference, taking place June 11-13 in Chicago, spine surgeons, orthopedic leaders and ASC executives will come together to explore minimally invasive techniques, ASC growth strategies and innovations shaping the future of outpatient spine care. Apply for complimentary registration now.

Advertisement

Next Up in ASC Coding, Billing & Collections

Advertisement

Comments are closed.