When people cannot afford to pay their medical bills, they accumulate what's called medical debt. Medical debt affects 100 million Americans—that's 4 in 10 adults—and disproportionately impacts people of color. In New Hampshire, more than 2 in 3 (69%) residents have delayed or gone without health care due to cost, more than 40% are struggling to pay their medical bills, and a striking 83% worry about affording future health care. Unlike other forms of debt, medical debt typically results from unexpected illnesses, accidents, and emergencies—situations beyond a person's control. Yet this debt can appear on credit reports, preventing people from securing jobs, car loans, mortgages, and housing. Research confirms that medical debt is not a reliable indicator of ability to pay future bills. As federal legislation to expand medical debt protections stalls, New Hampshire has the opportunity to join several other states in banning medical debt from harming credit reports.
In the 2026 legislative session, New Futures and the NH Medical Debt Coalition will work to pass medical debt protections to ensure health care crises don’t destroy the long-term financial security of New Hampshire families.
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Share Your Story
Please share your experience with medical debt or unpaid medical bills using the form below. Consider the following questions in your story:
- Do you have medical bills that you can't pay? Tell us about the medical situation that led to those unpaid bills or debt (i.e. illness, accident, emergency, etc.).
- Did your ability to afford health care or medical debt cause you to delay or go without care?
- Did your medical debt appear on your credit report? If so, how did you find out?
- How does medical debt on your credit report affect your life? Consider job applications, housing, loans, etc.
