Focus-19

More callers seeking help paying medical bills

After avoiding trips to the doctor in the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, health care visits have increased and so have requests for help paying for medical expenses. We examined 5,276 requests to 2-1-1s for medical expense assistance from January 1 to August 24, 2020. Medical expense assistance requests declined in the first two months of the pandemic, but since then they have risen nearly 60 percent and are now well above pre-COVID levels. Recent increases are especially concerning because often no resources are available for people requesting help with medical expenses. Visit the 211 Counts daily tracking system to view medical expense assistance requests and unmet needs in your area. Analyses include AL, AR, AZ, CA, CT, DE, FL, HI, IA, IL, KS, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, NC, NE, NJ, NV, NY, OH, PA, SC, SD, TN, VA, WA, WI and WY.

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