QuickStats: Percentage of Adults Who Were in Families Having Problems Paying Medical Bills During the Previous 12 Months, by Race, Hispanic Origin, and Selected Asian Subgroups — National Health Interview Survey, United States, 2020−2021

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Abbreviation: NH = non-Hispanic.

• With 95% CIs indicated by error bars.

† Estimates are based on household interviews of a sample of the civilian, noninstitutionalized U.S. population and are derived from the 2020 and 2021 National Health Interview Survey.

§ “Problems paying medical bills” is based on a positive response to a question asking, “In the past 12 months, did you/anyone in the family have problems paying or were unable to pay any medical bills? Include bills for doctors, dentists, hospitals, therapists, medication, equipment, nursing home, or home care.”

¶ “Non-Hispanic Asian” includes all non-Hispanic Asian adults, including other Asian subgroups not shown separately.

** Total includes all adults, including other race groups not shown separately.

During 2020–2021, the percentage of U.S. adults who were in families having problems paying medical bills during the previous 12 months was 11.3%. Non-Hispanic Asian adults (5.7%) were the least likely to be in families having problems paying medical bills, followed by non-Hispanic White (10.0%), Hispanic or Latino (13.5%), and non-Hispanic Black or African American (16.8%) adults. Among adults within the non-Hispanic Asian origin subgroups shown, those of Chinese origin (2.8%) were less likely to be in families having problems paying medical bills than were adults of Filipino origin (6.2%). Other observed differences were not statistically significant.

Source: National Center for Health Statistics, National Health Interview Survey, 2020 and 2021 data. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis.htm

Reported by: Michael E. Martinez, MPH, MHSA, memartinez@cdc.gov; Amy E. Cha, PhD; Emily P. Terlizzi, MPH.

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