The Medical Debt Trap

The medical debt trap has caught 100 million Americans in its jaws. More than half of all bankruptcies in the United States are tied to medical issues, and medical debt is keeping millions from getting the care they need. And while medical debt tends to plague the most vulnerable, the problem is getting worse even for people with health care coverage.

Third Way hosted a discussion on the issue of medical debt in this country and efforts to address the issue at the federal, state, and local levels. Noam Levey, Senior Correspondent at Kaiser Health News, moderated a conversation with Eva Marie Stahl, Vice President of Public Policy for RIP Medical Debt, John McNamara, Assistant Director for Consumer Credit, Payments, & Deposits Markets at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Jessica Grennan, Political Director for Healthcare Rising Arizona, and Ladan Ahmadi, Former Deputy Director for Economic Communications and Health Care Policy at Third Way.