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CDC Issues Data on Adults Having Problems Paying Health Care Bills
Per the notice below, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued data on adults having problems paying health care bills, including dental bills.
QuickStats: Percentage* of Adults Aged ≥18 Years Who Were in Families Having Problems Paying Medical Bills in the Past 12 Months,† by Disability Status§ and Age Group — United States, 2023
Weekly / October 31, 2024 / 73(43);989
* With 95% CIs indicated by error bars. Estimates are based on household interviews of a sample of the civilian, noninstitutionalized U.S. population.
† “Problems paying medical bills” is based on a positive response to the question, “In the past 12 months, did you/anyone in the family have problems paying or were unable to pay any medical bills? Include bills for doctors, dentists, hospitals, therapists, medication, equipment, nursing home, or home care.”
§ “Disability status” is based on a response of “a lot of difficulty” or “cannot do at all” to any one of the six questions of the Washington Group Short Set on Functioning asking about difficulties in the following functional domains: seeing, hearing, walking or climbing steps, communicating, remembering or concentrating, and self-care.
In 2023, the percentage of adults aged ≥18 years who were in families having problems paying medical bills in the past 12 months was higher among those with disabilities (21.2%) compared with those without disabilities (9.6%). This pattern was observed across all age groups.
Supplementary Table: https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/164154
Source: National Center for Health Statistics, National Health Interview Survey, 2023. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis.htm
Reported by: Natalie A.E. Young, PhD, nyoung2@cdc.gov; Julie D. Weeks, PhD; Nazik Elgaddal, MS.
Suggested citation for this article: QuickStats: Percentage of Adults Aged ≥18 Years Who Were in Families Having Problems Paying Medical Bills in the Past 12 Months, by Disability Status and Age Group — United States, 2023. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2024;73:989. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7343a6.
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