More than 1 in 4 Americans are struggling with financial toxicity, with big medical bills dragging down both their money and their health, a new study says.
Nearly 27% of U.S. residents faced high medical expenses or skipped needed health care because they couldn't afford it between 2018 and 2022, researchers reported Monday in JAMA Internal Medicine.
Additionally, more than half (53%) of people who died during that period racked up overwhelming medical bills, researchers found.
"Health care is even less affordable than previous studies have suggested. They've only looked at how many people are hit by unaffordable health care over one year. But the risks mount over time," said lead researcher Dr. Adam Gaffney, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School.
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