Disparate Patient Advocacy When Facing Unaffordable and Problematic Medical Bills.

ABSTRACT:

Importance

People in the US face high out-of-pocket medical expenses, yielding financial strain and debt.

Objective

To understand how households respond to medical bills they disagree with or cannot afford.

Design, setting, and participants

A retrospective cohort study was carried out using a survey fielded between August 14 and October 14, 2023. The study included a random sample of adult (aged ≥18 years) survey respondents from the Understanding America Study (UAS). Participant responses were weighted to be nationally representative. The analysis took place from November 3, 2023, through January 8, 2024.

Main outcomes and measures

Respondents reported if their household received a medical bill that they could not afford or did not agree with in the prior 12 m

SUBMITTER: Duffy EL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11364993 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature