Americans are estimated to have $931 billion in total credit card debt with the average household dealing with a nearly $16,000 credit card debt balance, according to a recent study by Nerdwallet. 

Nerdwallet's recently released study shows Americans have even more looming credit card debt than in previous years with a 7 percent jump in debt compared to last year. According to the study, one reason for the jump is that more people are using credit cards for medical expenses, which is causing Americans to pay hundreds of dollars in iinterest for health care. 

“Charging medical bills to credit cards can seem like a simple solution, but it can actually lead to even bigger headaches down the road,” Nerdwallet credit card expert Kimberly Palmer said in a news release. “That’s because many credit cards have high interest rates, which means the amount owed can quickly snowball out of control."

Instead of charging debt, she suggests asking your doctor or hospital if you can arrange an interest-free payment plan with them. 

Palmer also suggests trying to pay off your credit card balance to avoid interest and also consider making payments more frequently than once a month to keep your daily balance lower. 

“Finding a way to put money toward paying off debt, especially high interest debt, is the best way to free yourself from the vise grip debt can have on your budget,” Palmer said.