Medical debt remains a crucial public health issue that affected approximately 778,000 adults in L.A. County in 2024. This document uses 2024 data from the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS) to update findings from 2021–2023 reports about the sources of medical debt in Los Angeles County.

Findings:

• 1 in 10 adults (10.2%) were burdened by medical debt in L.A. County in 2024.
• The amount of medical debt was over $2.8 billion in L.A. County in 2024.
• Larger proportions of multiracial (16.1%), Black of African American (13%), and Latino (10.8%) adults had medical debt compared with white (9.6%) and Asian
  (7.3%) adults.
• Adults earning 100%–199% (15%) and 200–299% (14.5%) of federal poverty level (FPL) had the highest medical debt, while 6.6% of adults earning 300% FPL+ had a medical debt.
• The debt can make it difficult to pay for basics like food and housing and can lead people to skip or delay needed medical care.