Medical debt has reached epic proportions, impacting the financial security of more than 100 million Americans. According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, about 111 million credit lines included medical debt in 2021, with a total debt balance of $88 billion nationwide.
Now a new report from the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (DPH) shows how bad the problem has become in one major city, and offers solutions for hospitals and policymakers to consider.
The burden of medical debt in LA
The LA DPH used county-specific data from the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) of 4,000+ people from 2017-2021 to better understand the burden of medical debt. They found that about one in ten LA County adults reported hav…
Read the full article at: https://lowninstitute.org/how-hospitals-can-help-solve-our-medical-debt-crisis/