Medical Debt Linked to Delayed Healthcare

A new study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health indicates that medical debt is associated with individuals delaying essential dental, medical, and mental health care. This trend is observed even among those with health insurance.

Medical debt is linked to individuals postponing crucial dental, medical, and mental health services, a pattern evident even among those with health insurance.

Key Findings from the Study

The research revealed significant differences in deferred care rates between those with and without medical debt:

• Dental Care: 42.3% of people with medical debt delayed dental care, compared to 17.7% of those without.
• HMedical Care: 23.0% of people with medical debt postponed medical care, while only 5.3% of those without did.
• Mental Health Care: 14% of people with medical debt deferred mental health care, versus 5% of those without.

Uninsured adults experiencing medical debt were more likely to defer medical care than those covered by commercial insurance. Approximately 10% of the nearly 30,000 adults surveyed in the 2023 National Health Interview Survey reported medical debt.

Implications and Consequences

Delaying preventive or routine care can worsen health conditions, potentially leading to higher treatment costs for patients, insurers, and taxpayers. For example, poor dental health has been linked to heart disease and cognitive decline.

According to senior author Catherine Ettman, avoiding routine care can make health conditions more costly to address in the long run.

The study's authors suggest that recent policy changes, such as cuts to insurance coverage, could exacerbate medical debt and deferred care.

Study Details and Limitations

The study, titled "Medical Debt and Deferred Care for Physical Health, Mental Health, and Dental Needs Among U.S. Adults," was published on March 10 in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. It utilized data from the 2023 National Health Interview Survey.

The authors noted limitations, including the reliance on self-reported measures for medical financial hardship and deferred care, which may be subject to recall bias or not fully capture the extent of medical debt.