As US medical debt grows, AI will be used more to collect it
Summary
Medical debt in the United States is expected to grow due to health care spending cuts led by Republicans. Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly used in medical billing and debt collection to manage and collect these debts more efficiently.Key Facts
- Medical debt will rise as more costs are shifted to patients, affecting both insured and uninsured people.
- Over 25% of US adults reported owing medical debt in 2025, including those with health insurance.
- AI is used to record medical visits, code billing, send messages, and assist in collecting debt from patients.
- AI helps set personalized discounts for medical debt settlements and values debt portfolios for sale.
- Republican health spending cuts, including the HR1 bill, could cause 17 million more uninsured people by 2034.
- Increased uninsured rates lead to more unpaid bills, called "uncompensated care," projected to reach $278 billion by 2034.
- Hospitals and debt collection companies use AI to predict a patient’s ability to pay and offer AI chatbots to discuss bills.
- Cedar is an example of a company using AI to target patients with large medical bills and improve debt collection efficiency.
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