Most Driven Into Debt by Medical Bills HAVE Health Insurance

[girl gone mad]

From http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2010/12/most-driven-into-debt-by-medical-bills.html">Washington's Blog:

Most Driven Into Debt by Medical Bills HAVE Health Insurance

Most driven into debt and bankruptcy by medical bills have health insurance. For example, Reader's Digest http://www.rd.com/your-america-inspiring-people-and-stories/the-cost-of-health-care-in-america/article26204.html">notes:

Between 2000 and 2003, seven in ten adults who were driven into debt by medical expenses had insurance at the time.

Similarly, http://www.healthpolicy.ucla.edu/NewsReleaseDetails.aspx?id=33">as of 2009:

More than 2.2 million California adults report having medical debt, and two-thirds of those incurred the debt while insured, according to the authors of "The State of Health Insurance in California (SHIC)," a comprehensive new report from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.

And as the Washington Post http://www.healthpolicy.ucla.edu/NewsReleaseDetails.aspx?id=33">pointed out last year:

Sixty-two percent of all bankruptcies filed in 2007 were linked to medical expenses, according to a nationwide http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/documents/american_journal_of_medicine_09.pdf">study released today by the American Journal of Medicine. That's nearly 20 percentage points higher than that pool of respondents reported were connected to medical costs in 2001.

Of those who filed for bankruptcy in 2007, nearly 80 percent had health insurance.

Why is this happening?

http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2010/12/most-driven-into-debt-by-medical-bills.html">more...

[walldude]

1. Republicans like you to think that most bankruptcy is filed

by people who run up massive credit card debt. TOTAL LIE.

[ChoppinBroccoli]

21. Absolutely True

I think I saw a study several years ago that said that about 60-70% of the bankruptcies filed in this country were mainly because of medical bills. And that was easily 5 years ago or better. That is an outrage.

Oh, and do you want to know how many bankruptcies were what is known as "spendthrift" bankruptcies (people who like to go shopping and spend up their credit cards)? Less than 10%.

[TexasObserver]

2. recommend

[mstinamotorcity]

3. Because lies travel

faster than the truth. Republicans always set the stage like a Broadway production. It is up to us to take away their props,lighting,makeup and script.

[enough]

15. What's strange to me is that people believe the lies rather than what's happening in their own

lives. This is some really effective brainwashing.

[mstinamotorcity]

17. They have grown up with most of those lies

since they were born. They live in fear. It works so well for repugs. And some Dems.

[applegrove]

4. Obama has to stop the GOP cold when they try and undo health care.

[leftstreet]

5. HCR could have been popular just on 'reform' of this issue. Not mandated bs

The Democrats shot themselves in the foot on this one. Running around talking about 'universal' wink nudge healthcare, dangling/dropping a public option, then shafting us with a mandate to purchase for profit garbage to further line the pockets of the ins industry.

Lots of voters would have been happy with just some basic controls on the insurance predators

[Poboy]

11. leftstreet is correct.

[w8liftinglady]

6. being sick has a lot of unseen costs

insurance premiums,medications that are non-formulary,tests not approved,hospitalizations not approved,loss of income.....A critical illness can wipe out a family-even with health insurance

[Carolina]

8. exactly

which is why we needed a public option.

Obama's HCR is not helpful. You can be employed with insurance but you are so right about all those expenses that increase out of pocket costs!

[delightfulstar]

7. K&R, I've been there.

My husband shattered his ankle in 2000. We had a PPO, and a good one at that. After the ambulance ride, two days in the hospital, three surgeries, and PT, we still had $12K in medical bills - after insurance. We worked it around our other bills, and it took us three years to pay it all off. In 2002, I had a near-fatal anaphylactic reaction (I'm allergic to everything from Zithromax to pollen to tomatoes, LOL...), was rushed to the hospital, and was in there for three days. Again, we were hit with a relatively large bill after insurance. They always manage to screw you one way or another.

[liberalhistorian]

9. It's happening because, even if you have insurance,

you still have copays and deductibles and you still have to fight to get your insurance to cover a lot of treatment; while you're fighting, you're still stuck with the bill. And co-pays and deductibles add up very, very fast, especially for major surgeries and serious/life-threatening illnesses and chronic conditions. Treatments for cancer and chronic illnesses alone can easily run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars; co-pays and deductibles for that can be well into the tens of thousands of dollars, if not more. That is, if your insurance company even permits treatment. Remember, they must have their gargantuan executive salaries and perks and their fancy buildings also.

An uncle of mine fought cancer and won over ten years ago. He and his wife are still chipping away at the huge bills that their insurance didn't cover. And if he gets sick again, he's screwed, because he's almost reached the lifetime cap and he has three more years before he's eligible for medicare.

I'm always amazed at those who think that just because you have insurance that that then means you are covered and won't have any medical debt. Far from it. Insurance doesn't cover everything and it doesn't pay the whole bill. In fact, many people have to fight with their insurance company while also fighting a major illness, theirs or a family member's illness/injury. People can easily lose their houses and all assets just because they have the temerity to become ill. That is beyond unconscionable and inexcusable and shouldn't be permitted. But in our for-profit medical model, it's par for the course.

I'm of the firm opinion that medical bills should not be permitted on credit reports and that medical collection agencies should be reined in. It isn't as if the debtor went out and bought a bunch of stuff on credit cards that they then refused to pay for.

[OhioChick]

10. K&R n/t

[truth2power]

12. My daughter has medical insurance. She recently had

a routine out-patient procedure done. 15 minutes in the OR. Her hospital bill was $12,000 , of which she owes $800. out of pocket. The doctor bill hasn't yet arrived.

No, I'm not complaining about the $800. But what are people without insurance expected to do? This is unconscionable!!

Where are the cost controls in Obama's health care plan?


ETA> She will likely need more extensive follow-up surgery. Her out-of-pocket will eventually run to $10,000+

[freshwest]

13. It happened to me

More than once!

[KamaAina]

14. Because they don't really have insurance. They have peace of mind.

This was a dear old friend's take on the insurance industry (not just health insurance). "You've got peace of mind! If anything ever happens to you, we're not actually going to pay for it, but in the meantime, you've got peace of mind!"

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

16. Why am I reminded of the film "The Incredibles"?

And why do I wish so much people had super-strength in real life?

[WinkyDink]

18. Europe and Canada are First-World; The US? Not so much?

[BrklynLiberal]

28. There are countries that are considered Third World that may have better health care...

and better infant mortality rates, longer life-span, etc. and NO ONE SPENDS MORE PER CAPITA ON HEALTH THAN THE US.

http://www.who.int/whr/2000/media_centre/press_release/en/index.html

<snip>

The U.S. health system spends a higher portion of its gross domestic product than any other country but ranks 37 out of 191 countries according to its performance, the report finds. The United Kingdom, which spends just six percent of GDP on health services, ranks 18 th . Several small countries – San Marino, Andorra, Malta and Singapore are rated close behind second- placed Italy.

<snip>

Other findings in the annual WHO report include:

* In Europe, health systems in Mediterranean countries such as France, Italy and Spain are rated higher than others in the continent. Norway is the highest Scandinavian nation, at 11th .
* Colombia, Chile, Costa Rica and Cuba are rated highest among the Latin American nations – 22nd, 33rd, 36th and 39th in the world, respectively.
* Singapore is ranked 6th , the only Asian country apart from Japan in the top 10 countries.
* In the Pacific, Australia ranks 32 nd overall, while New Zealand is 41st .
* In the Middle East and North Africa, many countries rank highly: Oman is in 8 th place overall, Saudi Arabia is ranked 26th , United Arab Emirates 27th and Morocco, 29th.

and things have gotten worse since 2000

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/933429/united_states_life_expectany_ranking.html

As of 2008:

United State's Life Expectancy Ranking Down to 42nd Worldwide

<snip>
Also, the United States has a relatively high infant mortality rate compared to other countries. The United States rate for infant deaths was 6.8 for every 1,000 births, much higher than 40 other countries, including Cuba, Taiwan, and much of Europe. For African Americans, the infant mortality rate is higher, 13.7 for every 1,000 births, the same as Saudi Arabia. With the technology that the U.S possesses, why is the infant mortality rate so high?
<snip>

[sarcasmo]

19. We are one of the worst industrialized nations in the world when it comes to health care and

education.

[freshwest]

20. It's because

We don't have universal health care.

I've talked with friends in Europe who don't worry about losing their jobs, homes, credit, family members, place in the community and their lives to illness. It's just accepted that it's part of life that things happen and to keep society productive they must have health care.

Some of them really freaked out when they saw the movie SICKO. They were stunned, told me that the American government must HATE the people to treat us this way. They realized the fear and angst many Americans have.

They don't live in bondage to jobs they hate because they have a safety net that enables them to make changes in employment easier. They don't put up with abuse to keep health insurance. They don't stay up late at night worrying about this.

Because their governments solve the problem, not turn it over to corporations to make profit and not find solutions. We've been so brainwashed. I think it's one of those 'there are none so much in chains as those who believe they are free' things.

Anyway, thanks for the thread.

[dflprincess]

22. Michael Moore covered all this in "Sicko"

proving that having coverage does not mean you have access to care.

Pity Obama and Congress don't understand that.

[Lugnut]

23. Health isurance companies add no value to the process.

The parasites have won.

[ck4829]

24. K&R

[Lorien]

25. That's what happened to me

I needed vascular surgery or I would have had an aneurysm. The insurance company approved it then refused to pay once the bill came due, citing some obscure loophole. I tried for years to get them to pay anything at all. They found every excuse not to. Insurance DOES NOT mean coverage or access to health care!

[BrklynLiberal]

26. Insurance cos are not out there to help you pay medical bills..they are out there to make a profit..

If your illness cuts into that, your are out of luck.

Profit is their ONLY motive. If anything else is mentioned, it is a lie.

[Liberal_in_LA]

29. +2000

[BrklynLiberal]

27. The repukes are astoundingly better at messaging and framing the debate that Dems.

They are better at telling lies than the Dems are at telling the truth....and they own the vast majority of the media...thanks in no small part to a bill that was signed by President Clinton.

[Uncle Joe]

30. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, girl gone mad.