A new study from the Commonwealth Fund reveals that since 2005, the number of Americans with medical bill problems has risen to 79 million.
Forty-one percent of working-age Americans -- 72 million -- reported having trouble paying off medical debts, up from 34 percent in 2005, and another 7 million adults over 65 had similar problems.
The report also found that medical debt and the high cost of care are beginning to affect those in higher income brackets.
Additional findings include:
- More than half of adults earning less than $40,000 annually reported difficulties paying medical bills or being in debt as a result of health care expenses.
- Thirty-nine percent of people with mounting bills or debts said they had depleted their savings to pay off bills;
29 percent were having problems paying for food, heat, rent, and other basic necessities; and 30 percent had accumulated credit card debt trying to clear their medical expenses.
- Many are also going without medical care, including medications:
45 percent of adults reported problems getting care because of rising costs (up from 29 percent in 2001).
- Twenty-eight percent of working-age U.S. adults (about 50 million people) were uninsured for at least part of 2007, up from 24 percent in 2001.
- Fourteen percent of working-age adults (25 million people) were underinsured, up from 9 percent in 2003.
