I do not forward a lot of other people\u2019s news reports, but this one from the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) on medical dept is worth pondering. Here is a summary quote:<\/p>\n
\u201cmore than 100 million people in the US \u2013 including 41% of adults – are now beset by health care debt\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Noam Levey\u2019s email broadcasts are always insightful. Full KFF report on line is only about 20 minute read.<\/p>\n Readers from Europe can appropriately chuckle and sigh about our lousy insurance system.<\/p>\n Remarkably, US bankruptcies and credit card debt went DOWN during the pandemic but are now soaring. Total consumer debt is approaching $16 trillion. From a report in 2021: \u201c8 in 10 Americans have some form of consumer debt, and the average debt in America is $38,000 not including mortgage debt.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n From:<\/strong> Noam Levey <NoamL@kff.org<\/a>> Good day,<\/p>\n It\u2019s been a little while since I\u2019ve written, but I wanted to alert you to a new project we\u2019re launching this morning with NPR and CBS News called Diagnosis: Debt<\/em><\/strong>, which examines America\u2019s medical debt crisis.<\/p>\n The first installment in our series, which draws on a new KFF poll conducted for the project and original Urban Institute research, reveals that more than 100 million people in the US \u2013 including 41% of adults – are now beset by health care debt, a number significantly larger than is generally realized. Today\u2019s story looks at the awesome scale of this problem and how it is upending countless lives across the country. Accompanying today\u2019s launch is a feature profiling a group of Americans burdened by medical debt, including a mother of twins in Chicago forced to work double shifts and borrow from family, a retired Virginia couple driven into bankruptcy and a medical student in Texas harassed for years by debt collectors for a $131 exam she was given after being sexual assaulted.<\/p>\n You can find the project here: https:\/\/khn.org\/news\/article\/diagnosis-debt-investigation-100-million-americans-hidden-medical-debt\/<\/a><\/p>\n Future stories in the series will explore the burden of medical debt on people with cancer, how this debt is deepening racial disparities and how a burgeoning credit industry is feeding off patients\u2019 inability to pay their bills. I hope you find this first installment interesting, and if so, you\u2019ll consider sharing it with others. And I hope you\u2019ll follow this ongoing project as we publish additional stories throughout the year examining this uniquely American affliction. Thanks, as always, for reading.<\/p>\n All best,<\/p>\n -N<\/p>\n Noam N. Levey<\/strong> \u00a0\/ \u00a0Senior Correspondent<\/p>\n Kaiser Health News \u00a0\/ \u00a0Washington, DC<\/p>\n nlevey@kff.org<\/a> \/ @NoamLevey<\/a> \/ +1 202 247 0811<\/p>\n Kaiser Health News<\/a> (KHN) is the newsroom at KFF (the Kaiser Family Foundation), producing in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of KFF\u2019s three major operating programs. KFF is an endowed non-profit organization providing information on health issues to the nation.<\/p>\n Stay connected with:<\/p>\n khn.org<\/strong><\/a> \/ email<\/a> \/ twitter<\/a> \/ facebook<\/a><\/p>\n kff.org<\/strong><\/a> \/ email<\/a> \/ twitter<\/a> \/ facebook<\/a><\/p>\n Randall P. Ellis, Ph.D. (he\/him\/his<\/em>) Vaccinate, avoid unneeded risks, love the outdoors, be optimistic, work for positive change.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I do not forward a lot of other people\u2019s news reports, but this one from the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) on medical dept is worth pondering. Here is a summary quote: \u201cmore than 100 million people in the US \u2013 including 41% of adults – are now beset by health care debt\u201d Noam Levey\u2019s email … Continue reading BUHealth: New KFF\/Urban Institute project on medical debt<\/span>
\nSent:<\/strong> Thursday, June 16, 2022 6:19 AM
\nTo:<\/strong> Noam Levey <NoamL@kff.org<\/a>>
\nSubject:<\/strong> New project on medical debt<\/p>\n
\nProfessor, Department of Economics, Boston University
\nellisrp@bu.edu<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 +1 617-353-2741\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 http:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/ellisrp\/<\/a><\/p>\n