Aby researchers at Harvard, Stanford and UCLA analyzed 10 years' worth of medical bills referred to collection agencies and found that medical debt is most common in low-income neighborhoods, in the Southern U.S. and in states that declined to expand Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act.
The researchers found that medical debt was cut in half in states that participated in the Medicaid expansion, while it fell by just 10 percent in those that didn't. While many of those experiencing financial problems resulting from medical expenses are uninsured or underinsured, others find themselves surprised by an unexpected illness entailing treatment not covered by insurance plans. People covered by plans with high-deductibles, large co-paymments. The UCLA study uncovered the case of a California woman who was hospitalized with COVID-19 and still owed more than $42,000 after insurance.
As inflation threatens to push up health costs further, many consumers may be tempted to cut expenses by avoiding check-ups that can catch developing health problems or by not taking medicine as prescribed. Such short-term measures risk creating more expensive health problems down the road.The latest Biden Administration proposals follow other recent government and congressional efforts to reduce the burden of medical expenses, which opinion polls have shown to be a top concern of voters.
At the same time, efforts to rein in drug prices—including the Biden Administration's current proposal to cap the monthly price of insulin at $35—face an uphill battle in a divided
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