Quote:
Originally Posted by tiger
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Medical bills are behind more than 60 percent of U.S. personal bankruptcies, U.S. researchers reported on Thursday in a report they said demonstrates that healthcare reform is on the wrong track.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/us_health...3yLy GTkDW7oF |
Not sure I buy it, statistics and research can easily by spun to support any viewpoint. Medical expenses may have tipped those families over the edge, but I really don't think they were the root of their problems.
That article doesn't really provide any specifics about the research but look at this one:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6895896/
"Illness and medical bills were cited as the cause,
at least in part, for 46.2 percent of the personal bankruptcies in the study."
"Out-of-pocket medical expenses covering co-payments, deductibles and uncovered health services averaged $13,460 for bankruptcy filers who had private insurance at the onset of illness, compared with $10,893 for those without coverage. Those who initially had private coverage but lost it during their illness faced the highest cost, an average of $18,005."
I'm not exactly a baller, but these numbers don't sound THAT high, they are barely a price of a low-end new car. If $15k unexpected expense causes you to go bankrupt, you must have some bigger underlining financial problem, especially considering that hospitals are pretty reasonable about collecting that debt, you just need to send them couple hundred a month and they'll leave you alone...
