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19.8% of Colorado adults have unpaid medical bills, study finds

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The Center Square

The share of adults in Colorado with unpaid medical debts is now 19.8 percent, the 37th highest level among all 50 states, according to a recent analysis by the website 24/7 Wall St.

The median Colorado medical debt that has been assigned to collections agencies was $755, the analysis said. The state has an uninsured rate of 7.5 percent, and 14.3 percent of its adults are rated in fair or poor health, according to the 24/7 Wall St. report.

Nationwide, 22.7 percent of U.S. adults have medical debts that are past due, according to the study, which is based on a 2018 analysis published by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).

The high cost of health care remains a key concern for Americans because medical bills are a factor in about 66 percent of personal bankruptcies, according to 24/7 Wall St.

States with lower shares of residents dealing with unpaid medical bills tend to have lower uninsured rates and higher annual incomes, the study found.

Medical Debt Burdens Among the 50 States

Rank

State

% of Adult Population With Unpaid Medical Bills

Median Medical Debt in Collections

Uninsured Rate

Adults in Fair or Poor Health

1

Mississippi

40.9%

$813

12.1%

22.2%

2

South Carolina

31.4%

$787

10.5%

19.1%

3

West Virginia

31.2%

$680

6.4%

24.1%

4

Georgia

29.9%

$808

13.7%

18.8%

5

Arkansas

29.0%

$596

8.2%

24.5%

6

Texas

29.0%

$829

17.7%

18.2%

7

Alabama

28.7%

$801

10.0%

21.4%

8

Louisiana

28.4%

$697

8.0%

21.1%

9

Delaware

27.6%

$601

5.7%

15.8%

10

Kansas

27.2%

$735

8.8%

15.0%

11

North Carolina

27.0%

$698

10.7%

17.6%

12

Missouri

26.9%

$781

9.4%

18.5%

13

Indiana

26.8%

$761

8.3%

17.7%

14

Oklahoma

26.7%

$857

14.2%

19.6%

15

Alaska

26.1%

$1,316

12.6%

13.4%

16

Maine

26.0%

$729

8.0%

15.4%

17

Montana

26.0%

$768

8.2%

13.9%

18

Kentucky

25.8%

$459

5.6%

21.3%

19

Tennessee

25.6%

$855

10.1%

19.1%

20

Wyoming

24.7%

$1,252

10.5%

15.1%

21

New Hampshire

24.6%

$458

5.7%

13.6%

22

South Dakota

24.5%

$542

9.8%

11.8%

23

Ohio

24.4%

$531

6.5%

17.0%

24

Idaho

23.9%

$790

11.1%

15.3%

25

Vermont

23.4%

$469

4.0%

12.5%

26

Virginia

23.1%

$680

8.8%

15.9%

27

Nevada

23.0%

$775

11.2%

20.5%

28

Wisconsin

22.6%

$1,015

5.5%

15.4%

29

Iowa

22.0%

$535

4.7%

13.1%

30

Nebraska

21.4%

$481

8.3%

14.2%

31

Pennsylvania

21.1%

$512

5.5%

15.1%

32

Florida

20.7%

$921

13.0%

18.5%

33

North Dakota

20.3%

$624

7.3%

14.3%

34

Oregon

20.3%

$647

7.1%

15.8%

35

Michigan

20.2%

$497

5.4%

17.4%

36

Utah

20.1%

$997

9.4%

12.1%

37

Colorado

19.8%

$755

7.5%

14.3%

38

Illinois

19.8%

$555

7.0%

17.2%

39

Maryland

19.1%

$498

6.0%

13.9%

40

Arizona

18.0%

$888

10.6%

17.8%

41

New York

17.7%

$446

5.4%

16.1%

42

Washington

17.7%

$559

6.4%

13.9%

43

Minnesota

17.3%

$360

4.4%

12.0%

44

Rhode Island

17.2%

$468

4.1%

14.8%

45

Massachusetts

16.5%

$354

2.8%

13.8%

46

Connecticut

16.2%

$441

5.3%

13.8%

47

New Jersey

16.2%

$510

7.4%

16.5%

48

New Mexico

15.1%

$731

9.5%

20.8%

49

California

14.3%

$740

7.2%

17.5%

50

Hawaii

13.4%

$232

4.1%

14.0%

Source: 24/7 Wall St.