How medical debt affects communities
Karida Giddings, the healthcare program coordinator for the North Carolina Black Alliance, said medical debt is intertwined with issues including housing disparities and food insecurity.
In a meeting, Giddings said she heard about a North Carolina resident who lost partial equity of his house to settle over $20,000 in medical debt after his wife died.
Insurance companies deny many claims for medications or surgeries that providers deem medically necessary, causing patients to pay out of pocket, Kate Daley, the health justice campaigner for Down Home North Carolina, said. Down Home North Carolina is an organization serving…
