Medical debt affects 100 million Americans and is quietly linked to higher mortality rates and suicide. Healthcare executive Adam Cunningham explains what clinicians can do right now in the exam room to reach patients who are rationing medications or vanishing from care.

⏱️ Chapters:
0:00 Introduction
0:04 Adam Cunningham's background and motivation
0:54 A friend loses her job, her insurance, and access to RA treatment
1:52 Medical debt statistics and the link to suicide
3:25 How one patient got biologic treatment for rheumatoid arthritis in China
5:49 Addressing concerns about quality of care abroad
6:14 Three A and JCI accreditation in Chinese hospitals
8:01 Common treatments Americans are seeking in China
10:46 Managing follow-up care and complications after treatment abroad
12:26 Questions patients should ask before seeking care overseas
13:57 What clinicians should ask about patient affordability in the exam room
16:01 Key takeaways for clinicians and patients

About this episode:
Financial barriers to care are a silent driver of medication rationing, missed follow-ups, and, at the extreme end, patient deaths. Adam Cunningham, a health care executive, discusses how medical debt affects 100 million Americans and contributes to elevated mortality and suicide rates, with financial crises linked to 16 percent of suicides in the US. He walks through the story of a patient who lost access to biologic treatment for rheumatoid arthritis after losing her job and insurance to federal budget cuts, and ultimately received effective care in China at a fraction of the US cost. Cunningham explains the accreditation landscape for Chinese hospitals, covers which treatments are driving medical tourism, and offers concrete guidance for both patients and clinicians, including the single most important question a physician can ask a patient before they quietly disappear from the health care system.

🤝 Partner with me on the KevinMD platform:
With over three million monthly readers and half a million social media followers, I give you direct access to the doctors and patients who matter most. Let's work together to tell your story.

➡️ PARTNER WITH KEVINMD: https://kevinmd.com/influencer
➡️ SUBSCRIBE TO THE PODCAST: https://www.kevinmd.com/podcast
➡️ RECOMMENDED BY KEVINMD: https://www.kevinmd.com/recommended

#medicaldebt #healthcarecosts #medicaltourism