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Americans borrowed $74B to pay for medical care in past year, survey finds

Nearly 1 in 5 young adults aged 18 to 29 report they needed to borrow to pay for health care, and similar rates are reported by adults aged 30 to 49.

By Alan Goforth | March 06, 2025 at 09:12 AM
Cash

More than 30 million adults in the United States borrowed an estimated $74 billion in the past 12 months to pay for health care for themselves or a household member. Nearly 6 in 10 are concerned that they would experience medical debt if faced with a major health event.

“Millions more are coping with the high cost of health care by skipping treatments, avoiding care or making other tradeoffs that put their health at risk,” according to a recent West Health-Gallup Healthcare survey. “Younger adults, families and racial and ethnic minorities are disproportionately affected by these struggles.”

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