Medical bills underlie 60 percent of U.S. bankrupts, 75% of bankrupt families had health insurance

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Medical bills are behind more than 60 percent of U.S. personal bankruptcies, U.S. researchers reported on Thursday.

...

More than 75 percent of these bankrupt families had health insurance but still were overwhelmed by their medical debts, the team at Harvard Law School, Harvard Medical School and Ohio University reported in the American Journal of Medicine.

"Unless you're Warren Buffett, your family is just one serious illness away from bankruptcy," Harvard's Dr. David Himmelstein, an advocate for a single-payer health insurance program for the United States, said in a statement.

"For middle-class Americans, health insurance offers little protection," he added.

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"Expanding private insurance and calling it health reform will fail to prevent financial catastrophe for hundreds of thousands of Americans every year," Dr. Sidney Wolfe of the Health Research Group at Public Citizen said in a statement.

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"Most medical debtors were well-educated, owned homes and had middle-class occupations."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090604/hl_nm/...care_bankruptcy

[spookyturtle 9,466]

All because the Rethuglicans fight health care. What a shame.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

All because the Rethuglicans fight health care. What a shame.

Terrorists will terrorize. It's what they do.

[spookyturtle 9,466]

All because the Rethuglicans fight health care. What a shame.

Terrorists will terrorize. It's what they do.

And their own people too. Why can't something be done?

[Ban Hammer 13,677]

All because the Rethuglicans fight health care. What a shame.

it's the middle class, who cares when there is so many to save in the lower class.

[mawilson 2,133]

All because the Rethuglicans fight health care. What a shame.

it's the middle class, who cares when there is so many to save in the lower class.

We have to give them equal opportunities, Charles. Why should Warren Buffett have access to better

quality care than a janitor in Butte, Idaho? That's just crazy!

[JimandChristy 1,689]

All because the Rethuglicans fight health care. What a shame.

Terrorists will terrorize. It's what they do.

and the scaremongering will continue no doubt......about the above article, just goes to show private health insurance is no guarantee of not running up massive debts due to hospital bills. Roughly what proportion of the country are vulnerable at the mercy of health insurance companies who are busy rubbing their hands together in glee in making millions of dollars profit?

[one...two...tree 2,762]

This is concrete proof that our current health system is having an adverse affect on our GDP. It's insane to not look toward viable solutions, including a public option for insurance.

....

By several measures, health care spending continues to rise at a rapid rate and forcing businesses and families to cut back on operations and household expenses respectively.

In 2008, total national health expenditures were expected to rise 6.9 percent -- two times the rate of inflation.¹ Total spending was $2.4 TRILLION in 2007, or $7900 per person1. Total health care spending represented 17 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP).

U.S. health care spending is expected to increase at similar levels for the next decade reaching $4.3 TRILLION in 2017, or 20 percent of GDP.¹

In 2008, employer health insurance premiums increased by 5.0 percent – two times the rate of inflation. The annual premium for an employer health plan covering a family of four averaged nearly $12,700. The annual premium for single coverage averaged over $4,700.²

Experts agree that our health care system is riddled with inefficiencies, excessive administrative expenses, inflated prices, poor management, and inappropriate care, waste and fraud. These problems significantly increase the cost of medical care and health insurance for employers and workers and affect the security of families.

http://www.nchc.org/facts/cost.shtml

[Ban Hammer 13,677]

All because the Rethuglicans fight health care. What a shame.

it's the middle class, who cares when there is so many to save in the lower class.

We have to give them equal opportunities, Charles. Why should Warren Buffett have access to better

quality care than a janitor in Butte, Idaho? That's just crazy!

then make that guy warren buffett's janitor, problem solved.

[Eric-Pris 1,607]

For those interested in our health care system , you should watch a movie called "Sicko". It's a documentary about our health care system. It will scare the be-jesus out of you.

Regardless of how you feel about Michael Moore, he does open your eyes with this stuff.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0386032/

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

All it takes is to change the bankruptcy laws so people can't just bum out of their obligations. You just put them into debt for the rest of their lives and this bankruptcy due to medical bills discussion will go away. Many of the debtors have perfectly good organs they could sell to pay up. That would be a lot better than communist "solutions". There, I said it.

Can I run on a GOP ticket now?

[Peikko 1,575]

All it takes is to change the bankruptcy laws so people can't just bum out of their obligations. You just put them into debt for the rest of their lives and this bankruptcy due to medical bills discussion will go away. Many of the debtors have perfectly good organs they could sell to pay up. That would be a lot better than communist "solutions". There, I said it.

Can I run on a GOP ticket now?

Cleo approves this message.

[mawilson 2,133]

All it takes is to change the bankruptcy laws so people can't just bum out of their obligations. You just put them into debt for the rest of their lives and this bankruptcy due to medical bills discussion will go away. Many of the debtors have perfectly good organs they could sell to pay up. That would be a lot better than communist "solutions". There, I said it.

Can I run on a GOP ticket now?

Cleo approves this message.

I don't. Instead of selling their organs (how barbaric!), why not just stop treating people who cannot pay?

Problem solved - no more emergency room freebies.

[Peikko 1,575]

All it takes is to change the bankruptcy laws so people can't just bum out of their obligations. You just put them into debt for the rest of their lives and this bankruptcy due to medical bills discussion will go away. Many of the debtors have perfectly good organs they could sell to pay up. That would be a lot better than communist "solutions". There, I said it.

Can I run on a GOP ticket now?

Cleo approves this message.

I don't. Instead of selling their organs (how barbaric!), why not just stop treating people who cannot pay?

Problem solved - no more emergency room freebies.

What are you going to do with all the dead/dying people? I don't want them cluttering up the streets and stinking the place out.

No, much better to make a profit and increase the availability of high quality organs. Win/win.

[tmma 467]

All it takes is to change the bankruptcy laws so people can't just bum out of their obligations. You just put them into debt for the rest of their lives and this bankruptcy due to medical bills discussion will go away. Many of the debtors have perfectly good organs they could sell to pay up. That would be a lot better than communist "solutions". There, I said it.

Can I run on a GOP ticket now?

Cleo approves this message.

I don't. Instead of selling their organs (how barbaric!), why not just stop treating people who cannot pay?

Problem solved - no more emergency room freebies.

What are you going to do with all the dead/dying people? I don't want them cluttering up the streets and stinking the place out.

No, much better to make a profit and increase the availability of high quality organs. Win/win.

Wouldn't it depend on what the dying people are dying of and what the dead people died of? Their organs may not be such 'high quality'-just sayin'.