Medical Debt: The Price of Life

By Anissa Durham | Word In Black Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko/ Pexels. (WIB) – The healthcare system is one of the only transactions you make without knowing the price of your purchase. Whether you have health insurance or not, most Americans are dealing with or have dealt with some kind of medical debt.   It’s estimated that more than& 100 million Americans& have medical debt. And it doesn’t take much to end up with a bill you can’t pay. One infection, a fall, or an accident and you can be stuck with thousands of dollars of medical bills.& To no surprise, Black folks, according to a& KFF Health News poll, are 50% more likely to owe money for care. As a result, many Americans will avoid an ambulance ride, steer clear of the hospital, or seek out home remedies when sick. But, you can’t always avoid care.& Tenaya Taylor, the executive director of nonprofit accountability group, went in for a routine dental filing in Sept. 2022. After drilling in their tooth, dentists told them they needed a root canal. Before continuing with the procedure, dental staff demanded $2,000 for the root canal.& If Taylor didn’t pay, the Connecticut-based dental staff said...