Investigation finds 40% of all adults in U.S. struggle with health care debt
CBSN
More than 100 million people in the U.S. have been saddled with health care debt. That includes about 40% of all adults, according to an investigation from Kaiser Health News and NPR.
The debt can ripple through their lives for years and has major consequences. In partnership with Kaiser Health News, CBS News Consumer Investigative Correspondent Anna Werner spoke with a Chicago family whose medical debt continues to follow them.
Marcus and Ally Ward told CBS News they planned carefully before having children. He runs a nonprofit organization and she's a neonatal nurse practitioner. The two said they put their finances in order before getting pregnant.
A class of drugs known as GLP-1s have been helping people lose weight, but out of pocket costs put them out of reach for many Americans. In West Virginia, a subsidy program for public employees was showing promising results, but then the state abruptly ended it, leaving many searching for new solutions.