Sifter
Sick, broke and screwed
Have a good job? Have insurance? If you get sick, it might not matter. According to a study conducted by Harvard University, half of all bankruptcies in America are due to medical costs associated with a sudden sickness or injury. The report called private health insurance “an umbrella that melts in the rain” and advocated for a national health care plan.
Calif. bankruptcies in 2004 123,905
Calif. medical bankruptcies 2004 62,386
# Californians in medical bankruptcy families 173,244
% Americans with insurance at onset of bankrupting illness 75.7
% Canadian bankruptcies due to medical bills 7.1
In the two years before filing for a medical bankruptcy:
22% of families went without food
30% had a utility shut off
61% went without needed medical care
50% could not afford to fill a doctor’s prescription
Harvard’s full study is available online at: http://content.healthaffairs.org
