The findings come from the 2020 survey of income and program participation, which asked every adult in a household whether they owed money for medical bills in 2019 and the amount.
Four additional findings:
1. Eleven percent of adults ages 35-49 reported medical debt, and 12 percent of adults ages 50-64 reported medical debt, more than other age groups. These age groups typically have more health needs than younger people, but are too young to qualify for Medicare coverage.
2. Twenty-one percent of people in poor health and 15 percent people living with a disability reported medical debt.
3. Sixteen percent of Black adults reported medical debt, compared to 9 percent of white adults, 9 percent of Hispanic adults and 4 percent of Asian American adults.
4. Thirteen percent of adults who were uninsured for more than half of the year reported medical debt, compared to 9 percent of those who were insured for all or most of the year.
