Report: Americans still struggling with medical debt

One in 5 Americans is in a family that's struggling with medical debt, says a new report, with 1 in 10 living in a family that can't pay the bills at all.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report on the financial burden of medical care compiled data from January through June of last year. The survey of 52,000 people is believed to be the largest of its kind ever.

The report found that low-income people had the hardest time paying the bills: More than 40 percent of percent of poor and near-poor people under the age of 65 were in families with medical debt, versus 31 percent for the nonpoor. 

The results also varied with age, with younger Americans more likely to live in families that are struggling with the cost of medical care. Almost 24 percent of children under the age of 18 were in families having problems paying medical bills, compared with 21 percent of adults aged 18–64, 10 percent of adults aged 65–74, and 7 percent of adults aged 75 and over.

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