Full-time work no protection from medical debt.(Practice Trends)

WASHINGTON -- Medical debt is more common among families with full-time workers than among families whose members work part-time, according to University of Iowa researchers at the annual meeting of the American Public Health Association.

"Medical debt can result in credit problems and force people to file for bankruptcy," said Matthew Levi, who is a graduate research assistant in the department of community and behavioral health at the university.

"These problems can be worsened if an individual stops going in for care and using prescription drugs, because untreated problems can prevent a person from returning to work. People with medical debt also report increased levels of stress and anxiety," he said.

The researchers looked at Urban Institute data from interviews with more than 1,400 residents, some done in person and some by phone.

Subjects were located either in low-income areas of Des Moines or in surrounding Polk County.

Data came primarily from a single question in the survey asking whether the subject or their spouse was paying off any medical debt, although a few other responses also were included.

Surprisingly, people with full-time jobs were more likely to report medical debt, said Anne Wallis, Ph.D., of the department of community and behavioral health at the university.