Home > Report: 79 Million Have Trouble Paying Medical Bills
An estimated 79 million adults in the United States are now having problems paying medical bills or are paying off medical debt.
This according to a new report by the Commonwealth Fund. Declining insurance coverage and rising healthcare costs are also contributing to the sick skimping on needed care. 45 percent of adults reported that the high costs of healthcare prevented them from getting needed care in 2007.
Karen Davis, the president of the Commonwealth Fund said, "These findings provide further evidence that the health system is falling short of where it needs to be to ensure health and economic security.
We need a new administration to make universal and affordable health insurance available.” It is estimated that nearly two-thirds of all adults in the country— or 116 million people—were either uninsured for a time during the past year, were underinsured, reported a problem paying medical bills, or said they did not get needed healthcare because of cost.
Of the major presidential candidates, only two—independent Ralph Nader and Green Party nominee Cynthia McKinney—are calling for a single-payer healthcare system.