The AP (12/9, Alonso-Zaldivar) reports that for the fourth straight year “fewer Americans are struggling to pay medical bills, according to a major government survey released Tuesday.” The results from the CDC’s National Health Interview Survey show that the number of people in households that had trouble paying medical bills dropped by 12 million from the first half of 2011 through the same period this year. According to the AP, much of the improvement “happened in the last two years, coinciding with the big coverage expansion under President Barack Obama’s health care law.” Overall, 16.5 percent of adults under 65 had trouble paying medical bills this year, down from 20 percent in 2011.
HealthDay (12/9, Preidt) also reports the story.