Medical debt is a widespread problem in America. A 2022 poll from KFF, which conducts health policy research, found that 4 in 10 adults are struggling to pay their medical or dental bills.
Now a report from KFF finds people are increasingly turning to crowdfunding to raise money for their costs. Dr. Elisabeth Rosenthal reports that GoFundMe acknowledges patients have become reliant on the crowdfunding platform but declined to say what proportion of campaigns are medically related. The company has estimated in the past that a third of fundraisers on the site are medically related, but that could be an undercount.
On Cincinnati Edition, we examine why crowdfunding for health care costs is growing, how to address medical debt, and whether lawmakers are taking action.
Guests:
- Elisabeth Rosenthal, MD, senior contributing editor, KFF Health News
- Kathryn Poe, budget and health researcher, Policy Matters Ohio
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