Mar 27, 2024

Why Americans are drowning in medical debt

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Medical debt is the leading cause of personal bankruptcy in America. How did we get here?

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Health and Wealth

Health and Wealth: Why Americans are drowning in medical debt

by David Brancaccio , Meredith Garretson and Kelly Silvera

Mar 27, 2024

Almost a third of all working adults in the United States are carrying some kind of medical debt — that’s about 15% of all U.S. households.

Medical debt is the leading cause of bankruptcy in the United States and affects almost a third of working Americans.

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The team

David Brancaccio Host

Leanna Byrne Host, BBC

Kelly Silvera Executive Producer

Meredith Garretson Morbey Senior Producer

Alex Schroeder Producer

Erika Soderstrom Producer

Ariana Rosas Producer

Nic Perez Director/Producer

Dylan Miettinen Digital Producer

John Bruington Media Producer

Jesson Duller Media Producer

Brian Allison Technical Director

James Graham Producer, BBC

Jo Critcher Producer, BBC

Naomi Rainey Producer, BBC

Lis Mahy Producer, BBC

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