79 million or 28% of American paying off medical debt

[Liberal_in_LA]

http://blogs.creditcards.com/2008/08/medical-debt-credit-cards.php

Study: 79 million struggling to pay medical debt and bills

Connie Prater | August 26, 2008 | Research, regulation, industry reports

More signs that Americans are juggling medical debt and turning to credit cards to pay their health care bills: A new study released last week by the Commonwealth Fund has found that nearly 79 million adults in the United States are struggling to pay medical bills or have medical bill problems.

The study -- "Seeing Red: The Growing Burden of Medical Bills and Debt Faced by U.S. Families" -- is the latest biennial look at America's health insurance and medical care system.

Turning to credit cards
Rising medical costs and burgeoning out-of-pocket expenses have put many American families on the edge financially. Researchers found that nearly 21 million people say they took on credit card debt in the previous two years to pay medical bills, nearly 8 million took out second mortgages or loans and 28 million report using up all their savings because of medical debt.

Some 28 million people had been contacted by debt collection agencies in the past year about unpaid medical bills.