Medical debt can pain your family. Here’s how to avoid it and get the care you need.

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Medical debt afflicts all ages, not just retirees. Emergency-room visits, surgeries, dental work and even childbirth can trigger steep bills.

Last Updated: June 12, 2025 at 6:28 p.m. ET
First Published: June 11, 2025 at 7:45 a.m. ET

Scrutinize every medical bill. As many as 80% of medical bills contain errors. Photo: MarketWatch photo illustration/iStockphoto

About 100 million Americans owe more than $220 billion in medical debt, the U.S. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau reports. That means nearly 40% of adults in the U.S. carry debt tied to their healthcare.

Some of those adults actually have died. But their medical debt outlives them — and still plagues their loved ones.