By Martha Heberlein

Many families are struggling with medical debt. During the first 6 months of 2011, one in three people was living in a family experiencing a financial burden due to medical care, such as having medical bills that they are unable to pay, according to data released by the CDC.

The chances of facing such a burden increase the younger you are – children are more than three times as likely than adults over the age of 75 to be living in such a situation. The incidence of financial burden is also greater among poor and low-income households, the uninsured, and those with higher out-of-pocket expenses.