The average American family is one major illness away from financial ruin. You know this. You feel it every time you see a news story about a surprise $50,000 bill for an ambulance ride. Medical debt is the most morally bankrupt debt in America. It is debt you did not choose. It is debt that is often the result of a life-saving necessity. Yet, it is one of the leading causes of personal bankruptcy. If credit card debt is a beast with many heads, medical debt is a silent wealth killer. It creeps up on you, often hidden behind a confusing veil of insurance codes, hospital billing departments, and collection agencies. The Medical Billing Maze The first step to crushing medical debt is understanding the system that creates it. It is not designed for clarity; it is designed for maximum revenue extraction.