Do you have high-deductible health insurance? If so, you may have the option to open a health savings account (HSA) to help buffer your finances against damaging medical debt.

If you can get an HSA, you definitely should. Here’s why.

The level of medical debt in America is shockingly high.

According to Debt.org, America’s debt-help organization, the average cost to an individual to stay in a hospital is $3,949 per day. And the average healthcare consumer pays more than $10,000 per year. As a nation, we spent $3.5 trillion in 2017 for health care.

The numbers paint a bleak picture. Americans pay more for health care than anyone in the world, and the impact of facing extreme medical debt can be financially devastating for individuals and families.

Yet despite what the numbers say, there are ways to lessen the financial burden of individual or family health care. Find out how in this guide to managing medical debt.