Why Americans Have So Much Medical Debt

Widespread medical debt is a uniquely American problem, with medical debt totaling at least $195 billion in 2019. It was once thought that the problem was that Americans were largely uninsured, but even those with health coverage can run into problems. Over 90% of the U.S. population has some kind of medical insurance but about 40% of adults say they have at least $250 in medical debt. Watch the video above to learn how we got here and why having health insurance isn’t enough to protect people from medical debt.

Produced by: Charlotte Morabito
Graphics by: Josh Kalven
Supervising Producer: Lindsey Jacobson
Additional Sources: Kaiser Family Foundation, Journal of the American Medical Association, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid

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Why Americans Have So Much Medical Debt

[wvzknii]

I’ve personally known people to die because they couldn’t afford to see a doctor or had to go into bankruptcy because of medical debt. It’s ridiculous.

[FinancialShinanigan]

Can't fix what lobbyists don't want fixed

[vickypen]

In us healthcare is a business rather than a service. While the rest of the world healthcare is kept affordable for the larger society, US will not.

[rainemccandless]

My biggest issue with this is the video focuses on mostly doctors rather than pharmaceutical companies or the root motivation why insurance loves high deductibles. The costs aren’t by accident, they’re by design

[tomchupick]

after living in 6 countries, I can honestly say my US medicare and insurance costs were at least ten times higher than every other country. Some medication that costs <$10 in most countries before insurance would cost >$100 in the US with >$10 deductible. I agree that French doctor fees of $25 per visit and $1 Indian antibiotic treatments are too low, but you shouldn’t have to re-mortgage the house to get medical attention!

[jas]

“How can we fix it?” Judging by our track record I don’t think we can fix anything. It will probably just keep getting bigger and bigger like all the other problems that have been boiling in this country for the past 40 years.

[oggamer]

The reality of those in-network and out-of-network plans is that the insurance companies dictate what medical practices are allowed to be provided to patients when it is supposed to be the physician's responsibility to determine the best course of action. This is in-part due to those insurance companies holding conferences and "educational seminars" to physicians that try to get them to lean towards certain cost-effective practices and procedures but not necessarily what is best for certain patients. This results in some physicians, who don't lean into what insurance companies are telling them to do, to be out-of-network and costs are higher. The fact of the matter is that lower cost treatments are not the best for everyone, but insurance companies DO NOT CARE - they will only pay for what THEY decide is good enough for you.

[masaharumorimoto]

I had kidney surgery last month here in Canada and it was 100% covered by public health, start to finish it cost me nothing, the total bill approximatley would have been $25, 000. I'm disabled from birth and can't work, I fully appreciate public health care, in the USA I would have been left to die.

[karrenpopovics]

Can you imagine going to the grocery store and there are no prices on the shelf? Why do we have to sign a statement that says that we will pay a hospital bill BEFORE we receive service??? This is NOT medical care..it's extortion!!!😰

[randomstuff-qush]

What I found disturbing after my Dad got out of the hospital was the number of shocking "billing errors". He thought everything was paid up and good to go, then a mystery bill for $25k comes in. Not itemized, no explanation. He called the hospital and they couldn't even say what it was for, but insisted he had to pay it. Several calls later and they finally said it was an error and to disregard. Then another bill for even more came in, same lack of itemization, same lack of explanation. Hospital couldn't say what it was for, but again wanted him to pay. This went on for about a year. He'd get a mystery bill, call the hospital and get the runaround, then after several days, be told it was an error and to disregard. Considering how many of these "billing errors" there were, it led me to wonder if the hospital was incompetent or if they were deliberately harassing a man who'd just lost his wife in the hopes of getting him to pay money he didn't owe.

[Charles-_-]

20yr old hospital nurse. This debt needs to resolved by the people who caused it…..hospitals and insurance companies not patients!! Healthcare is a necessity for every single human. Greed greed greed is what feeds the need.

[toofy]

Please talk about our med schools charging too much and the time it takes them to graduate is waaay longer than the rest of the world. That's big!

[rokuwhitefox]

Not to mention how many people have avoided care due to cost. I've done it more times than I can count.

[CrownRider]

Healthcare should be a public utility, not a business model.

[mkwhitewide]

Ha.. I went to get my foot x-ray yesterday. I instisted on cost estimate before moving on. 2 clicks and they said it'll be $2000. I limped outta there.
Such a scam!

[Eoin-B]

And to think people in Ireland complain that to go to the emergency room, we have to pay €200 be it a heart attack or simple stitches if you don't have private insurance. That's 2.2 days minimum wage here. I could not imagine spending a whole months worth for just the deductible.

[sherim]

I don't even go to the doctor. The last time, a routine blood test at my doctor's office cost me $800. It cost my daughter through her Dr. 185 and an uninsured friend 78. The same blood tests. Too stressful going to doctor.

[nellyx]

I have a high deductible insurance. I know I can afford the deductible when I need care but I have no idea what or if the insurance covers after that because how complicated everything is. Hopefully I stay young and healthy forever. 🤞 Thanks American healthcare system!

[diomedesmedina]

I spend two days in New York Hospital, including one night in the Emergency Room where They put one injection, One MRI, and Check my heart and send me a bill for $37, 000.00. This is a big business in this Country thanks to the politicians. We have money to give hundred thousands of millions to the military and politicians of other countries but we don't have to take care of our people.

[jjbud]

My husband fell a couple of weeks ago and split open his nose and banged his forehead onto the concrete so I took him to the hospital to make sure he didn't fracture his skull or have a brain bleed. They sewed him up and did a CT scan. He was in the ER for about 3 hours. Total cost: $42, 282.00. Really? That's what someone without insurance would be expected to pay? He was examined, his wound sutured, had the CT scan and an EKG. That's it! They sent the bill to the VA, who paid the hospital $576.00 and we didn't pay anything. $576 doesn't sound unreasonable for what was done.