Tag: medical debt

Rising healthcare costs are upending the lives of Americans. People are forgoing health insurance, rationing medications, cutting back on doctor visits, and putting off health procedures they can’t afford. But bringing the costs down won’t be easy.

Oregon passed a law to require hospitals to proactively screen patients to see if they qualify for financial aid. Patients got immediate relief. Hospitals pushed to roll back the law following federal cuts to Medicaid and Affordable Care Act subsidies.

The idea of scrapping the U.S. health insurance system for a massive expansion of government-funded healthcare isn’t new. But voters hit by ballooning private health insurance costs are rallying behind midterm candidates calling for universal coverage.

Getting financial assistance from hospitals often involves filling out cumbersome forms. Some states now require hospitals to identify and automatically enroll patients eligible for charity care.

New Gallup surveys show tens of millions of Americans cutting back on food, utilities, and daily necessities to pay medical bills while healthcare affordability worsens.

Native communities are twice as likely to have medical debt in collections, agency finds.

New poll reveals strong support for medical debt relief across the U.S., highlighting a significant burden on millions of Americans and sparking renewed calls for legislative action.

“There’s a lot of talk in our healthcare system about putting patients first, … but this is not doing that.”

"In the United States of America, your financial life and future should not be destroyed because you or a member of your family gets sick."

The fundraising drive "sparked the compassion of donors" to lift the medical debt of service members, veterans and their families.