TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Despite federal protections, surprise medical bills are still causing financial strain for families across Arizona.
Governor Katie Hobbs launched a medical debt program in March of 2024 called Affordable Arizona: Tackling Medical Debt for Working Families. Undue Medical Debt partners with this program and is helping eliminate medical debt for some Arizonans.
In Arizona, there were 713,800 uninsured people in 2023, according to health policy organization KFF. That’s 9.8% of the state’s population.
Courtney Story is the VP of Government Initiatives at Undue Medical Debt and explains that health care can be very confusing. "The difference between a co-pay, a deductible, and an out-of-pocket maximum. I think that can be very confusing for people, sometimes things just happen, and you have an emergency room visit or you’re diagnosed with cancer or some other chronic illness and you just don’t have the income to make up that out-of-pocket max," she explains.
The No Surprises Act aims to limit the amount you pay out of pocket to a level closer to what you would pay if the healthcare provider were in-network, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).
"Medical debt is not a debt of choice," Story says. "It's a debt of necessity."
“Just because you got a very large bill and it’s very scary, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t reach out to that hospital and make sure that everything on that bill should be there and that everything was billed correctly," Story explains it's important to have conversations to ensure you're being billed accurately.
Story also recommends never paying off debt on a credit card.
If you have questions about your medical debt, Story recommends calling the hospital you received treatment from first. She also says before a procedure, ask how much it will cost you and if there are alternative options that are just as safe at a cheaper price.
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Athena Kehoe is a reporter for KGUN 9, she joined the KGUN 9 team in July of 2024 after graduating from Arizona State University. Share your story ideas with Athena by emailing athena.kehoe@kgun9.com or by connecting on X/Twitter.
