Among the highlights of the survey:

Borrowing varies among age groups. 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. This stands in stark contrast to the 9% of Americans who are 50 to 64 and only 2% of those 65 and older who say they needed to do so.
Black (23%) and Hispanic adults (16%) are substantially more likely to report having borrowed money than their white (9%) counterparts. By age, the disparities are particularly pronounced among adults younger than 50, with 29% of Black adults reporting borrowing money for health care compared with 19% of Hispanic and 14% of white adults.
Americans with children under age 18 living in their household are twice as likely to report that they borrowed money in the past 12 months, compared with those who do not have children living in their home (19% vs. 8%, respectively).
Of those who say they borrowed money in the previous 12 months to pay for health care, nearly 6 in 10 report borrowing $500 or more, while 38% report borrowing less than $500.
Although men are less likely than women to report borrowing money to pay for health care, they are more likely to borrow larger sums, with 5% borrowing $1,000 or more, compared with 36% for women.
The amount borrowed increases dramatically with age. Half of adults 50 and older who report borrowing money to pay for health care in the past 12 months borrowed approximately $3,000 or more. In contrast, the median amount was $750 for adults aged 30 to 49 and $300 for young adults aged 18 to 29.

“The findings suggest that stronger public policy is needed to address the impacts of high-priced health care,” the survey report concluded. “Without such changes, millions more may accumulate debt or be forced to make painful tradeoffs about seeking health care.”

Instant Insights /

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

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