Unaffordable Medical Expenses Are a Key Social Determinant of Health

December 21, 2022

Race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and geographical location are all widely recognized as primary social determinants of health (SDoH). However, unaffordable medical bills are often overlooked as a critical SDoH. A recently published paper in JAMA Network Open explored this concept and found that ~20% of US households have medical debt.

According to the study’s lead author, David Himmelstein, MD, “Incurring medical debt leaves many unable to pay for utilities, and worsens housing and food security, key SDOH associated with adverse health outcomes, including frailty at birth. Hence, unaffordable medical bills may constitute an SDoH in their own right and contribute to a downward spiral of ill-health and financial precarity.”

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(Source: Managed Healthcare Executive, December 20th, 2022)

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