The numbers describing the impact of medical debt among Los Angeles County residents are staggering: 1 in 10 adults (around 810,000 people) are in debt for medical care. All together they owe at least $2.6 billion.
That’s what analysts found when they examined county-specific data from the annual California Health Interview Survey dating from 2019 to 2021. More than 4,000 adult residents were asked if they had problems paying medical bills for themselves or people in their household in the past 12 months. If they said yes, they were considered to be burdened with medical debt. The responses were then extrapolated to reflect the county’s demographics and population.
This new analysis by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health suggests this debt can have striking consequences on people’s financial, physical and mental health.
“Medical debt is associated with a huge increase in housing insecurity. It’s the largest source of personal bankruptcy and it’s just tragic that it’s contributing to our homelessness crisis,” said Dr. Naman Shah, a practicing physician and county public health’s director of the Division of Medical and Dental Affairs.
How debt can spiral
High deductibles, copays and out-of-pocket expenses were a significant cause of medical debt for people with health insurance.
Graciela Flores’ high deductible contributed to a snowballing of medical bills that got out of control. The 57-year-old lives in Los Angeles and migrated from Mexico 40 years ago.
“I got the debt because I had to go to the doctor constantly, I had to check my health in general, and eventually the results showed I had to get tested again,”…
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