A recent study by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health reveals that medical debt is significantly associated with delayed care across multiple health sectors, including dental, medical, and mental health services. This delay affects both insured and uninsured individuals, with dental care being the most impacted.
The study found that 42.3% of individuals with medical debt delayed dental care, nearly 2.4 times higher than the 17.7% of those without debt. Similarly, 23% of people with medical debt postponed medical care, compared to just 5.3% of those without debt. For mental health care, 14% of individuals with medical debt delayed treatment, compared to 5% of those without.
The research highlights the deep impact of medical debt, particularly for uninsured adults. Over 19% of uninsured individuals, 13% of those on Medicaid, 9% with commercial insurance, and 8% with Medicare reported struggling with medical debt. The rate of deferred care for dental and mental health services was similar among both insured and uninsured populations.
This study underscores the broader health implications of financial barriers to care, including poorer overall health and higher mortality rates. It also stresses that delaying dental care, which is often excluded from basic insurance plans, can lead to long-term health issues like heart disease and cognitive decline.
The authors suggest that policy changes, such as the cuts proposed in the 2025 Budget Reconciliation Act, could worsen medical debt and deferment of care, exacerbating these health challenges. They argue that addressing affordability and reducing the economic burden of medical debt are essential for improving health outcomes.
Published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine on March 10, the study was based on data from the 2023 National Health Interview Survey, which included nearly 30,000 U.S. adults. Despite certain limitations, including reliance on self-reported data, the findings contribute valuable insights into the ongoing crisis of medical debt in the U.S.