Claims extracted
19
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
26%
5 of 19 hedged
("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans left
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
68/100
CBS News's corrections and
hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Economy/Business
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
More Americans are tumbling seriously into debt as prices and the overall cost of living
.Roughly 24% of people with a credit record are behind on medical bills, student debt, or auto or retail loans, according to a new analysis from the Urban Institute, a nonpartisan think tank.
uncertain
% → tumble → Institute
"The increasing cost of living makes it harder for people to make payments on basic needs," Breno Braga, senior fellow in the family and financial well-being division at the Urban Institute, told CBS News.
asserted
Braga → increase → News
Rising interest rates this year as the Federal Reserve tries to tame inflation are also making it harder for people to catch up.
asserted
people → rise → inflation
"It's a reflection of the financial life of Americans these days as we know it," Braga added.
asserted
Braga → know → it
Consumers' credit card balances have surged to a record $1.29 trillion, up nearly 70% from five years ago, according to new figures from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
uncertain
balances → surge → York
Years of high prices have forced Americans to deplete their savings and finance their daily expenses with debt, according to Ted Rossman, principal consumer finance analyst at Money Management International, a nonprofit debt counselor.
uncertain
Years → force → International
As a result, many household budgets are at a "breaking point," he said in an email to CBS News.
asserted
he → say → News
Consumer prices have risen by an average of 30% since 2019, Rossman noted.
asserted
Rossman → rise → 2019
Meanwhile, the share of Americans with debt in collection this year is up about one percentage point, from less than 23% in 2025, according to the Urban Institute, which based its findings on an analysis of more than 10 million credit records and U.S. Census data.
uncertain
which → accord → records
Roughly one in six, or almost 16%, of student loan borrowers are behind on payments, although the figure varies by geography.
asserted
figure → vary → geography
Braga attributes the disparity to several factors, such as lower incomes and higher poverty rates in some parts of the country.
asserted
Braga → attribute → country
"People there tend to have lower credit scores, so when they get a credit card or take out an auto loan, they tend to pay higher interest rates," he said.
asserted
he → tend → rates
"That makes it harder to make those payments, especially if you are low income.
asserted
you → make → payments
It makes you more likely to fall behind.
asserted
you → make → ?
"
Many people also are shouldering heavy medical bills despite having health insurance, reflecting insufficient coverage and the high cost of care across the U.S.
According to the Urban Institute, 3% of Americans have medical debt in collections, with a median balance of $1,492 — a figure that reflects only unpaid hospital or other medical bills, while excluding credit card debt stemming from health care costs.
uncertain
that → shoulder → costs
"People without health insurance are more likely to have medical debt, but having coverage does not protect you at all from having medical debt, especially not now with the high deductible plans we are seeing," Braga said.
asserted
Braga → have → plans
Fifteen states have passed legislation barring health care providers from reporting medical debt to credit rating agencies, which can lessen the damage to consumers' credit records.
asserted
which → pass → records
"It's good for patients that it's not reported to the agencies, but that doesn't mean it disappears.
asserted
it → report → agencies
It just isn't reported anymore," he noted.
asserted
he → report → ?
The Aporia
