By Bernadette Joy, Bankrate.com

Even though I have enough saved for early retirement, I still worry. As someone with lifelong chronic conditions, I know all too well how healthcare costs can creep up, even when everything else seems under control.

Medical debt is one of the sneakiest ways financial stress shows up in people’s lives. According to Kaiser Family Foundation’s (KFF) analysis of government data, Americans owe at least US $220 billion in medical debt. Approximately 14 million adults owe more than $1,000, and another three million carry medical debt over $10,000.

And the stress around money, and especially healthcare, is very real. According to Bankrate’s Money and Mental Health Survey , 43 percent of U.S. adults say money negatively affects their mental health at least som

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