3 million Americans have more than $10,000 in medical debt, and they're skipping doctor's appointments because of it

• The Kaiser Family Foundation found 3 million Americans owe over $10,000 in medical debt.
• It estimated total medical debt in the US is $195 billion, and it unevenly falls on patients of color.

Medical debt in the US is continuing to grow — and it's preventing many Americans from getting the health care they need.

On Thursday, the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) — a nonprofit that reports on health issues — released an analysis of medical debt in the US and its impact on different communities. Based on data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation, 23 million people or nearly one in ten adults, owe a "significant" amount of medical debt, which is defined as owing over $250.

Additionally, 16 million adults owe over $1,000 in medical debt, and 3 million have unpaid medical bills totaling over $10,000. This makes up the $195 billion medical debt load Americans currently owe.

"For these people, even a medical bill for a few hundred dollars can present major problems," the analysis said. "KFF surveys and other studies find that people with unaffordable medical bills are more likely to delay or skip needed care in order to avoid incurring more medical debt, cut back on other basic household expenses, take money out of retirement or college savings, or increase credit card debt.

As the analysis explained, the total amount of medical debt Americans truly hold is difficult to estimate given its variability from year to year. Last year, for example, the Journal of the American Medical Association estimated the total debt load was around $140 billion — a big jump from the previous $80 billion estimated. Regardless, patients continue to be burdened by medical billing, which is often unavoidable and a result of emergency hospital visits.

Other main findings from KFF's analysis include:

• 16% of Black patients report having significant medical debt, compared to 9% of white patients
• People living in the South are more likely to have significant medical debt because of lack of Medicaid expansion
• And women are more likely to report having medical debt than men, likely due to childbirth expenses and the gender wage gap.

Given that medical debt can accumulate unexpectedly, dinging credit reports and restricting patients from needed care, lawmakers and government agencies have taken steps to combat the issue. Earlier this year, a law went into effect that made surprise medical bills illegal, and more recently, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) found inaccurate medical bills cost Americans $88 billion last year, prompting the agency to work with credit bureaus to prevent unnecessary financial costs.

"When it comes to medical bills, Americans are often caught in a doom loop between their medical provider and insurance company," CFPB Director Rohit Chopra said in a statement. "Our credit reporting system is too often used as a tool to coerce and extort patients into paying medical bills they may not even owe."