Medical debt can be written off, but not in the automatic or universal way many people hope for. Manusapon Kasosod/Getty Images

Medical debt has become one of the most disruptive financial issues Americans face today. Even with health insurance, high deductibles and surprise billing can leave households owing thousands of dollars they never planned for. And with inflation affecting everything from prescription costs to hospital fees, many families are struggling to keep up with monthly payments. It's no surprise, then, that medical debt now commonly ends up in the hands of debt collectors.

At the same time, there's growing pressure on hospitals, insurers and policymakers to ease the burden caused by medical debt . For example, some nonprofit hospitals have expanded financia

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