Abstract
This paper examines the relationship between self-reported health status and medical debt outcomes using data from the 2013 Panel Study of Income Dynamics. There were two outcomes of interest: (a) the likelihood of having any medical debt, which included 4,227 households and (b) the amount of medical debt (medical debt > 0), which included 631 households. The results from the multivariate models showed that fair/poor health status increased the likelihood of having any medical debt by 73% and was associated with an increase in the amount of medical debt among those with medical debt by about 77% (p <.001) compared to those who reported better health. Poor health status appears to impose a financial burden on some households.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 36-44 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Journal of Financial Counseling and Planning |
Volume | 29 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2018 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Health status
- Household
- Medical debt
- Panel study of income dynamics