‘Don’t get sick. It’s too expensive’: medical debt is putting more Americans in financial crisis

Although both leading presidential candidates have addressed healthcare costs, neither has tackled the biggest issue - its cost

In a few short months, 37-year-old Kimberly Cooley went from sprinting up stairs to faltering after several steps. Unbeknownst to her, she was experiencing a cascade of symptoms related to autoimmune hepatitis, a rare and chronic inflammation of the liver.

She was diagnosed, shot to the top of the liver transplant list, and quickly realized she could not handle the financial repercussions of such a surgery alone. A private person by nature, Cooley took the extraordinary step of publicizing her condition - a step she understood well as a marketing consultant.