A quarter of middleclass Americans or million people had unpaid health care bills in a larger share than those higher and lower on the income scale according to a new report from Third Way a centerleft think tank . That compares with of lowerincome Americans and just under of higherincome people according to the report which is based on US Census Bureau data . Third Way defines middle class as a family of three earning between and annually which it terms the heart of the middle class . The middle class has higher rates of good health insurance than lower income Americans but financial squeeze is exacerbated by several factors . Black and Hispanic middle class Americans are more likely to have unpaid medical bills than their White and Asian peers . Also less likely than higherincome peers to have enough disposable funds to cover high deductibles and outofpocket costs . Only . of those with at least a bachelors degree have paid medical bills but more than a quarter of those who have less education have health care debt . Though senior citizens are more . seniors have higher health care costs but have lower rates of medical debt thanks to their Medicare coverage . Only over a quarter have medical debt compared with older Americans who have medical debts thanks to the Medicare coverage thanks to older ones who have more than . older ones with less education . Older people are less likely to pay for their medical bills . More attention is now being paid to the issue of medical debts than those who don’t have medical bills to avoid medical debts . Equifax Experian and TransUnion said last year that they will no longer include medical debts that went to collections . The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has launched an inquiry into medical debts. EquifaxExperian Experian said last month that they . will not include medical debt of less than will no
Medical debt hits the middle class hardest . Medical debt is the biggest problem for middle class
