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Experts say 3 million people in the U.S. have more than $10,000 in medical debt each.
"Whatever you do, don't put [medical debt] on a credit card," said RIP Medical Debt's Allison Sesso. "Once you put it on a credit card, it's consumer debt — it's not medical debt anymore."
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Health and Wealth: Why Americans are drowning in medical debt

Almost a third of all working adults in the United States are carrying some kind of medical debt — that’s about 15% of all U.S. households.
Medical debt is the leading cause of bankruptcy in the United States and affects almost a third of working Americans.
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Health care tops list of voters' economic worries

Feb 22, 2024
While inflation is moderating, some health-related costs are still climbing.
Health care affordability and inflation are top concerns for voters this year.
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More people are falling behind on debt, but fewer are in collections

Nov 8, 2023
Just before the pandemic, the New York Fed found that about 9% of people had bills that ended up in collections. Now, less than 5% do.
Medical debt previously made up about 60% of debt in collections. But data shows it doesn’t tell you much about someone’s creditworthiness.
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Major credit bureaus are changing how they report unpaid medical bills

Jul 12, 2022
A new policy could soften medical debt's impact on consumers' credit reports and credit scores.
In many bases, the balance of unpaid medical debt is no more than $500. Starting next year, those balances won't be on credit reports.
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With the CFPB's future uncertain, New York and other states want to step in

Mar 5, 2020
Some states are stepping up their plans to regulate the debt collection industry. Consumer advocates say the moves come at a time when Federal protections are weakening.
Gov. Cuomo announced a plan to crack down on fraud with additional oversight of the debt collection industry.
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For public good, not for profit.

What happens when a hospital sells its debt?

Apr 9, 2018
More hospitals across the country are selling debt from unpaid medical bills to collection agencies.
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Life without a financial safety net

Mar 17, 2016
"It feels like being on a treadmill behind which there is a bed of spikes."
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Medical debt collectors up in arms over FCC ruling

Sep 1, 2015
Companies could face fines of up to $1500 per faulty call.