Study: 50 Mill Americans Donate To Medical Crowdfunding; 8 Mill Started A Campaign for Themselves
'Study: 50 million Americans donate to medical crowdfunding,' Axios, Feb. 20, 2020.
An estimated 50 million Americans have donated to crowdfunding campaigns for medical expenses, according to a new study.
The big picture: People without insurance often have to shoulder enormous bills all on their own, and out-of-pocket expenses are a burden even for people with insurance. Friends and family are a big part of the unofficial health care system.
By the numbers: NORC at the University of Chicago estimates that 8 million people have started a crowdfunding campaign for their own medical expenses, 12 million have started one for a friend or family member, and 50 million have donated to one.
Those figures are based on a survey of 1,000 people.
Overall, 20% of Americans reported donating to a medical crowdsourcing campaign.
61% had donated to a relative, co-worker or acquaintance; 46% had donated to a friend's campaign; and 35% donated to a stranger.
Go deeper: GoFundMe's place in the health care system
https://www.axios.com/americans-gofundme-medical-bills-13771353-1cf7-4780-930b-b60140a8e67e.html
- Also: 'Barbaric,' 8 Million Americans Have Been Forced To Start Crowdfunding Campaigns To Cover Medical Costs'
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/02/19/barbaric-8-million-americans-have-been-forced-start-crowdfunding-campaigns-cover
- Nurses use Band-Aids to attach GoFundMe pages to the headquarters of Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America in Washington, D.C.
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