Healthcare crunch: Patient costs rise, ability to pay drops

If you've been feeling a bit more financially strapped when faced with medical bills, you're not alone—not by a long shot. Americans last year were hit both with "skyrocketing" costs for some popular medical procedures, and with health insurance deductibles that are rising at a rate well above inflation. At the same time, the amount of revolving credit that people can tap to help pay some leading health-care costs decreased, according to a study released Wednesday by TransUnion Healthcare, a subsidiary of the large credit-report company. And if you have a low credit rating, that problem has gotten even worse.