Medical Debt Affects More Than Quarter of Americans

About 26.6% of U.S. adults said they or a family member owed medical debt in 2025, and hospitals were the most common source: more than half of adults with medical debt owed for hospital care. Insurance offered limited protection, with medical debt reported by roughly one-quarter of insured adults; the burden was especially high among people in poor health, people with disabilities, lower-income households, and Black and Hispanic adults. In Los Angeles County, public health officials are developing a system to help hospitals identify patients eligible for financial assistance before bills become unaffordable, which officials estimate could prevent hundreds of millions of dollars in debt annually.