Grantee Name
Urban Institute
Funding Area
Empowering Health Care Consumers
Publication Date
June 2024
Grant Amount
$149,960
Grant Date:
October 2022 – September 2023
Medical debt is a crushing burden for New Yorkers. A recent survey found that more than half of New Yorkers struggle to pay medical bills.
Initial analysis of medical debt lawsuits suggested that low-income communities and communities of color outside of New York City were particularly hard hit by medical debt, exacerbating existing health and socioeconomic inequities. A coalition of partners ran a successful End Medical Debt in New York campaign, with NYHealth and other philanthropic support, to advocate for policy solutions that protect New Yorkers from unfair medical debt. In 2022, NYHealth awarded the Urban Institute a grant to support policy advocacy by examining the scope and nature of medical debt across New York State.
Under this grant, the Urban Institute produced a report that demonstrated how medical debt varied across New York State. It analyzed the disproportionate burden of medical debt across regions and on certain communities, including people of color and those with low income. Urban also examined the average amount of medical debt in communities and showed which ones would stand to benefit most from credit reporting changes. Findings provided consumers, advocates, and policymakers with the most comprehensive picture of medical debt patterns in New York State to date.