NASHIVILLE, Tenn. (OSBORNE) -- If you’re working your way out of debt resulting from medical bills, you’re not alone. The Nashville based Sycamore Institute says almost one Tennessean in four has medical debt on their credit history.
Institute Policey Director Mandy Pellegrin says medical debt is different.
“You make a very conscious decision to put something on a credit card, for example, or enter into a mortgage, but in the case of medical debt you might have an unexpected medical need...you get into a car accident, you have a heart attack.”
Pellegrin says so-called medical “surprise billing” is common. She says even patients with medical insurance are frequently hit with large bills by practitioners they were unaware are considered "out of network" by their insurance provider.
Would you like to review the complete Sycamore Institute study? Use the link below to listen to the complete interview with SI Policy Direcor Mandy Pellegrin.
