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© Getty Images
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Widespread medical debt
- Over 100 million Americans hold medical debt. That’s nearly one-third of the country, meaning it is largely a shared experience among the American population.
© Getty Images
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Broader definition
- The numbers are even higher when taking into account those who borrow money from family members or use credit cards to pay off medical debt. A recent poll found that 41% of American adults have healthcare debt when taking this broader definition.
© Getty Images
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Facts and figures
- In the US, 6% of all adults (14 million people) owe more than US$1,000 in medical debt. Of those 14 million, 3 million people (1% of all adults), owe more than $10,000 in medical debt.
© Getty Images
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Consequences of debt
- According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), national medical debt sits at about US$220 billion. There are endless consequences for holding this kind of debt.
© Getty Images
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Credit ratings
- Credit ratings become decimated, making it impossible to borrow money to buy a home or a car. Some employers and renters even ask for credit reports, impacting the possibility of getting certain jobs or renting homes. Not to mention the health impacts of stress.
© Getty Images
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Denial of services
- Additionally, healthcare providers may be forced to deny services to patients with medical debt, as they may be seen as high-risk for non-payment.
© Getty Images
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Whistleblowing
- Dr. Matt Hoffman, a physician at the Allina Health System in Minnesota, saw the denial of care first-hand. As a whistleblower to the New York Times, Hoffman shared a policy by his employer, in which care was systematically denied for patients with outstanding medical bills over US$4,500.
© Getty Images
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Unlawful
- Hoffman’s whistleblowing was part of a unionized movement with 600 other physicians working for the same entity. Eventually, this led to a decision by the state’s Attorney General, Keith Ellison (pictured), to make the denial of care due to medical debt an unlawful practice.
© Getty Images
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Bankruptcy
- This shattering waterfall of destructive consequences that burden the average American is a fact of life in the US. Nearly 70% of all people who file for bankruptcy do so because of medical debt.
© Getty Images
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Feature of American life
- While low-income workers suffer worse consequences in terms of the burdens of healthcare debt, it is not a uniquely class issue. The issue of medical debt is, according to The Scheinman Institute, a “broad feature of American life and experience.”
© Shutterstock
10 / 30 Fotos
Unable to seek preventative care
- Due to the for-profit model that governs American healthcare, many people are unable to seek preventative care, often making it to the hospital only once an advanced disease has occurred. This is not because Americans are particularly negligent of their health, but because healthcare is so unaffordable.
© Getty Images
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Insurance and employment
- Over 80% of Americans suffering from medical debt have health insurance. Furthermore, the majority of those with medical debt are employed.
© Getty Images
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Medical bills
- The issue is that the majority of health insurance providers only cover 80% of medical bills. The remaining 20% of medical costs are the responsibility of patients. This alone can cripple people’s finances.
© Getty Images
13 / 30 Fotos
Accumulating costs
- High deductibles and co-pays, as well as limited provider options, can further accumulate costs for people who must pay out of pocket to have access to the care they seek.
© Getty Images
14 / 30 Fotos
Predatory practices
- Predatory practices from private medical facilities, such as hospitals and clinics, also greatly contribute to the prevalence of medical debt for Americans.
© Getty Images
15 / 30 Fotos
Billing can be confusing
- Following a hospital visit, patients rarely receive a single bill with an itemized list of costs. Instead, they will receive several bills for individual services and the private entity relevant to them.
© Shutterstock
16 / 30 Fotos
Example
- For example, if a painkiller was administrated during the hospital stay, the provider responsible for medication will send the individual bill for that particular service. There may even be two bills: one for the medication itself and another for the administration of the medication. If an X-ray was performed, that would be a third separate bill.
© Shutterstock
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Difficult to track
- It can be challenging to keep track of what is being billed, as well as which bills have been paid and to whom.
© Shutterstock
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Illegal practices
- There are a number of illegal practices by service providers that can cause a great deal of financial strain. Patients may be double billed, ultimately paying for the same service twice. Entities may also bill patients for higher amounts than are legally permissible by federal or state legislation.
© Shutterstock
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Illegal practices
- Additionally, patients may be billed for services they didn’t receive or an exaggerated presentation of that service (both of which are illegal).
© Shutterstock
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Ambulatory services
- If patients find themselves in an emergency requiring ambulatory services, ambulance transport is often not a covered service by health plans.
© Getty Images
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Case and point
- In 2018, a 45-year-old woman was exiting a train in Boston, Massachusetts, when she tripped into the gap between the platform and the train. She suffered a major gash in her thigh, which required urgent medical attention.
© Getty Images
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Case and point
- As fellow passengers helped to free her, reports on the scene noted that while the woman was screaming in excruciating pain, she was simultaneously pleading with witnesses not to call an ambulance because she couldn’t afford the costs, which she explained would be US$3,000.
© Getty Images
23 / 30 Fotos
Patients refuse care out of fear
- The woman’s case captured the attention of media outlets across the country, exemplifying the state of health care in the United States, in which people facing grave injury may be forced to refuse care due to the fear of life-altering costs.
© Getty Images
24 / 30 Fotos
Numbers are shocking
- This case is not unique. A recent study noted that 23% of Americans did not call an ambulance during a medical emergency due to fear of costs. The numbers are stark and the reality of healthcare expenditures in the US is shocking.
© Getty Images
25 / 30 Fotos
Debilitating debt
- Adults living with chronic illness, disabilities, or other ailments are disproportionately more likely to face debilitating medical debt, as they require ongoing medical care and may experience unemployment due to their condition.
© Getty Images
26 / 30 Fotos
The role of violence
- In addition to those suffering from chronic conditions, the issue of violence also plays a part in unexpected medical debt, amounting to billions of dollars each year.
© Getty Images
27 / 30 Fotos
Gunshot injuries
- Over 80,000 people are hospitalized annually in the US due to gunshot injuries. Those admitted for inpatient services face an average of US$31,000 in medical costs, an amount that is likely underestimated. Survivors are spending an extraordinary amount of money on healthcare in the immediate aftermath of the violence they experience.
© Getty Images
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Costs nearly US$100,000
- One study that looked at approximately 704,000 people who had received emergency treatment following firearm-related injuries found that the average costs over the course of a year following the initial injury amounted to nearly $100,000 for each patient. Sources: (The Dig) (Brooklyn Institute for Social Research) (The Scheinman Institute) (What the World Thinks) (The Hill) (CNN) (Health System Tracker) (Association of American Medical Colleges) (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau) See also: The countries with the best healthcare in the world
© Getty Images
29 / 30 Fotos
© Getty Images
0 / 30 Fotos
Widespread medical debt
- Over 100 million Americans hold medical debt. That’s nearly one-third of the country, meaning it is largely a shared experience among the American population.
© Getty Images
1 / 30 Fotos
Broader definition
- The numbers are even higher when taking into account those who borrow money from family members or use credit cards to pay off medical debt. A recent poll found that 41% of American adults have healthcare debt when taking this broader definition.
© Getty Images
2 / 30 Fotos
Facts and figures
- In the US, 6% of all adults (14 million people) owe more than US$1,000 in medical debt. Of those 14 million, 3 million people (1% of all adults), owe more than $10,000 in medical debt.
© Getty Images
3 / 30 Fotos
Consequences of debt
- According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), national medical debt sits at about US$220 billion. There are endless consequences for holding this kind of debt.
© Getty Images
4 / 30 Fotos
Credit ratings
- Credit ratings become decimated, making it impossible to borrow money to buy a home or a car. Some employers and renters even ask for credit reports, impacting the possibility of getting certain jobs or renting homes. Not to mention the health impacts of stress.
© Getty Images
5 / 30 Fotos
Denial of services
- Additionally, healthcare providers may be forced to deny services to patients with medical debt, as they may be seen as high-risk for non-payment.
© Getty Images
6 / 30 Fotos
Whistleblowing
- Dr. Matt Hoffman, a physician at the Allina Health System in Minnesota, saw the denial of care first-hand. As a whistleblower to the New York Times, Hoffman shared a policy by his employer, in which care was systematically denied for patients with outstanding medical bills over US$4,500.
© Getty Images
7 / 30 Fotos
Unlawful
- Hoffman’s whistleblowing was part of a unionized movement with 600 other physicians working for the same entity. Eventually, this led to a decision by the state’s Attorney General, Keith Ellison (pictured), to make the denial of care due to medical debt an unlawful practice.
© Getty Images
8 / 30 Fotos
Bankruptcy
- This shattering waterfall of destructive consequences that burden the average American is a fact of life in the US. Nearly 70% of all people who file for bankruptcy do so because of medical debt.
© Getty Images
9 / 30 Fotos
Feature of American life
- While low-income workers suffer worse consequences in terms of the burdens of healthcare debt, it is not a uniquely class issue. The issue of medical debt is, according to The Scheinman Institute, a “broad feature of American life and experience.”
© Shutterstock
10 / 30 Fotos
Unable to seek preventative care
- Due to the for-profit model that governs American healthcare, many people are unable to seek preventative care, often making it to the hospital only once an advanced disease has occurred. This is not because Americans are particularly negligent of their health, but because healthcare is so unaffordable.
© Getty Images
11 / 30 Fotos
Insurance and employment
- Over 80% of Americans suffering from medical debt have health insurance. Furthermore, the majority of those with medical debt are employed.
© Getty Images
12 / 30 Fotos
Medical bills
- The issue is that the majority of health insurance providers only cover 80% of medical bills. The remaining 20% of medical costs are the responsibility of patients. This alone can cripple people’s finances.
© Getty Images
13 / 30 Fotos
Accumulating costs
- High deductibles and co-pays, as well as limited provider options, can further accumulate costs for people who must pay out of pocket to have access to the care they seek.
© Getty Images
14 / 30 Fotos
Predatory practices
- Predatory practices from private medical facilities, such as hospitals and clinics, also greatly contribute to the prevalence of medical debt for Americans.
© Getty Images
15 / 30 Fotos
Billing can be confusing
- Following a hospital visit, patients rarely receive a single bill with an itemized list of costs. Instead, they will receive several bills for individual services and the private entity relevant to them.
© Shutterstock
16 / 30 Fotos
Example
- For example, if a painkiller was administrated during the hospital stay, the provider responsible for medication will send the individual bill for that particular service. There may even be two bills: one for the medication itself and another for the administration of the medication. If an X-ray was performed, that would be a third separate bill.
© Shutterstock
17 / 30 Fotos
Difficult to track
- It can be challenging to keep track of what is being billed, as well as which bills have been paid and to whom.
© Shutterstock
18 / 30 Fotos
Illegal practices
- There are a number of illegal practices by service providers that can cause a great deal of financial strain. Patients may be double billed, ultimately paying for the same service twice. Entities may also bill patients for higher amounts than are legally permissible by federal or state legislation.
© Shutterstock
19 / 30 Fotos
Illegal practices
- Additionally, patients may be billed for services they didn’t receive or an exaggerated presentation of that service (both of which are illegal).
© Shutterstock
20 / 30 Fotos
Ambulatory services
- If patients find themselves in an emergency requiring ambulatory services, ambulance transport is often not a covered service by health plans.
© Getty Images
21 / 30 Fotos
Case and point
- In 2018, a 45-year-old woman was exiting a train in Boston, Massachusetts, when she tripped into the gap between the platform and the train. She suffered a major gash in her thigh, which required urgent medical attention.
© Getty Images
22 / 30 Fotos
Case and point
- As fellow passengers helped to free her, reports on the scene noted that while the woman was screaming in excruciating pain, she was simultaneously pleading with witnesses not to call an ambulance because she couldn’t afford the costs, which she explained would be US$3,000.
© Getty Images
23 / 30 Fotos
Patients refuse care out of fear
- The woman’s case captured the attention of media outlets across the country, exemplifying the state of health care in the United States, in which people facing grave injury may be forced to refuse care due to the fear of life-altering costs.
© Getty Images
24 / 30 Fotos
Numbers are shocking
- This case is not unique. A recent study noted that 23% of Americans did not call an ambulance during a medical emergency due to fear of costs. The numbers are stark and the reality of healthcare expenditures in the US is shocking.
© Getty Images
25 / 30 Fotos
Debilitating debt
- Adults living with chronic illness, disabilities, or other ailments are disproportionately more likely to face debilitating medical debt, as they require ongoing medical care and may experience unemployment due to their condition.
© Getty Images
26 / 30 Fotos
The role of violence
- In addition to those suffering from chronic conditions, the issue of violence also plays a part in unexpected medical debt, amounting to billions of dollars each year.
© Getty Images
27 / 30 Fotos
Gunshot injuries
- Over 80,000 people are hospitalized annually in the US due to gunshot injuries. Those admitted for inpatient services face an average of US$31,000 in medical costs, an amount that is likely underestimated. Survivors are spending an extraordinary amount of money on healthcare in the immediate aftermath of the violence they experience.
© Getty Images
28 / 30 Fotos
Costs nearly US$100,000
- One study that looked at approximately 704,000 people who had received emergency treatment following firearm-related injuries found that the average costs over the course of a year following the initial injury amounted to nearly $100,000 for each patient. Sources: (The Dig) (Brooklyn Institute for Social Research) (The Scheinman Institute) (What the World Thinks) (The Hill) (CNN) (Health System Tracker) (Association of American Medical Colleges) (Consumer Financial Protection Bureau) See also: The countries with the best healthcare in the world
© Getty Images
29 / 30 Fotos
How medical debt is debilitating Americans
Mounting national medical debt close to US$220 billion
© Getty Images
The American healthcare system is a complex, for-profit model that often leaves people vulnerable to unexpected expenses. Due to limited coverage, unequal access to preventive care, and much more, people in their most fragile states, or those caring for them, can feel preyed upon by the healthcare system.
Want to learn more about the state of American healthcare? Click on to find out more information.
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