Reuters:
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Medical bills are involved in more than 60 percent of U.S. personal bankruptcies, an increase of 50 percent in just six years, U.S. researchers reported on Thursday.
Can I File Bankruptcy Just on Medical Bills? : Bankruptcy Law Network
High medical bills don'thave to lead to bankruptcy - The Boston Globe
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Yep, I have late stage lyme disease. My insurance company will not pay for all of the IV drugs I need to get better. I'll have to sue them to get it. Otherwise, the meds are $8,000 to $10,000 a month. I have good insurance too, never had a problem with them until I got a real illness. Now I'm screwed.
Kudos to Cigna for putting a price tag on my life.
The idea of a single payer insurance system is to drive down cost and get everyone covered by rationing the care and eliminating choice. You can not have one without another...
Newsflash-
Proud NeoCon,
Either you are on here to stir fear as that's what your party likes to do, or you're ignorant as to what Medicare is, or you work for the insurance industry promoting utter greed.
Let's assume it's ignorance--that you don't really know what going on. OK, here's a good link for you to read, start here:
http://www
Also, you might want to ponder on this--if our health care delivery in this country is so great, why does it rank 37, while France ranks number 1? Is the World Health Oganization lying?
Why does all other countries in the world cap drug prices but we don't do it here? Could it be greed?
Before you say Big Pharma needs to charge what is does for it's drugs because of R&D, you might want to pick up a copy of former editor of New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. Marcia Angell's book "The Truth About The Drug Companies" And Jerome Kassirer, MD "On The Take." Reading these books will give you some insight into the politics of medicine and how it works AGAINST the best interests of the American people.
From the looks of your posts, I would say you have a lot to learn, start reading!
You can also pick up books from Peter A. Breggin, like "Your Drug May Be Your Problem." And if you want to find out the scam behind how these drugs come to market pick up "America Fooled: The Truth About Antidepressants, Antipsychotics and How We've Been Deceived."
This books actually starts with the scam behind promoting HRT for women. This was really the start of it all. Then came Prozac and the bogus "chemical-
Excellent post!
I want national health insurance and I am fighting very hard to get it for my country. You just keep fighting to keep health insurance away from those who cannot afford it, like myself. Good luck with that. Haha.
Who does the current system benefit? Buffett and AIG!
They can tighten their BELTS!
Save 90+% of the Overhead Insurance Companies make! Medicare for all!
Srop the 1990 fe_ar tactics!
I was misdiagnosed for 18 years because we do not focus on prevention with way too many assumptions due to age young or old. We need a system that focuses on prevention at any age and we need to pay providers to focus on prevention. Providers also need to become better aware of secondary causes that create more health issues. Often medical devices create secondary issues (like drugs). This issue and the ramifications have gone unnoticed with no attention to common assistive devices that many seniors use everyday. If you want to talk about medical bills take a look at the cost of senior falls and the ramifications on families. We know falls can be prevented but we need to do it effectively.
Providers especially therapists are often not aware of the proper use of assistive devices, there efficacy or more often lack thereof. This puts people at risk often seniors and puts stress on caregivers. All too often products are recommended outside of their intended use and because they are cheap. Cheap does not translate into effective or safe. Our system needs to focus on quality outcomes and patient safety.
For too long our system has relied on and put up with poor quality medical devices that have created a multitude of secondary issues that we end up paying for. Therapists who recommend devices need to pay attention to quality and the effect on the user verses price. Cheap price may turn out to be an expensive negative outcome.
Yours is a perfect example of one of the primary flaws with our "for profit" Medical and Insurance industries.
A simple truth: An ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure.
The unfortunate reality: In most any situation, a pound of something is going to cost MORE than an ounce of something else. It's a basic commodity rule, with rare exceptions. The rule applies UNLESS the item you are measuring by the pound is far more common than the item you are measuring by the ounce.
Preventive Medicine SHOULD BE the more common item, and therefore should be the easiest and cheapest to provide. Our system has turned the equation upside-down and made the "cure" both common and costly!
When I was diagnosed with a chronic, degenerative blood disorder back in 1999, I was visited in my hospital room by a counselor from my HMO to soften the blow and provide me with information on things I would need to do to "get my affairs in order" in the event that the treatment I was being placed on didn't work. One of the first things that counselor did was give me the name and number of an attorney, who advised me as a standard course of action to file for personal bankruptcy before I lost everything. When bankruptcy is a standard practice in dealing with an illness, the system is broken.
HIgh medical costs aren't just bankrupting individuals, it is bankrupting the country.
We need to go to a single-payer sysem, where every employer and every employee, every self-employed, and every investor-class individual has to pay a certain percentage on their income to fund the system. Run it like Medicare in that they only use 3 cents to administer it when the insurance companies use 30 cents. Then, tell the pharms we shall pay not one red cent more than the average charged to other industrialized contries. That could cut our pharmaceutical costs by sixty percent in one swoop.
Then, we need to pay more for primary care and far less for surgery and high-tech stuff. I was an Advancd Nurse Practitioner and Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist for over 25 years and spent nine years specializing in Open Heart Anesthesia. Recently, a friend told me that her husband was charged $83,000 by the surgeon on that surgery for her husband. The insurance negotiated it down to $64,000. NO SURGEON DESERVES THAT MUCH MONEY FOR ONE OPERATION. EVEN WITH THE YEARS OF TRAINING AND THEIR COMPLAINTS ABOUT MALPRACTICE. Those surgeons often will do THREE operations in a single day and operate four or five days a week.
We also pay far more for the same technology compared to European countries.
I do not about you, but I would happy to pay that to save my life..
My daughter is a bankruptcy attorney in California and she has more work than she can handle right now. And she told me the same thing. Most of the bankruptcies she does are because unmet medical bills pushed the person over the edge. She also said that most of the people who declare bankruptcy because of unpaid medical bills have what they thought was "good health insurance". Here's an example of one of her recent cases:
A middle aged family of 5, mom, dad, three teenage children. Mom and dad had good jobs with what they thought was good medical insurance. They had saved for their kids college and had a pretty good nest egg. They also owned their home. The oldest daughter was in a terrible automobile accident and nearly died. After her life was saved, she underwent months of therapy to learn to walk again and regain some semblance of normalcy. When all was said and done they owed over $200,000 in unpaid medical bills. They used all their savings (retirement and college fund) to pay some of these medical bills. Then the wife lost her job. They couldn't sell their house since it was under water. They were having a hard time making their mortgage payments much less paying on the medical bills. Finally they were forced to declare bankruptcy. The daughter is in therapy because she feels like it as her fault that her parents lost their home and life savings.
Why did they have $200K in bills?
Medical bills, nitwit. Why? Car crash that nearly took this woman's life probably required spinal, pelvic, and limb surgery. Possible burns might have required skin grafts. Multiple bone-mending surgeries could easily cost up to $100,000 or more. Add to that the cost of anesthesia for all the surgeries; an anesthetist to supervise; nurses and aides to provide care; hospital stays (lengthy, for multiple injuries); medications; physical therapy to teach re-use of affected limbs; assistive devices for aid in movement; and other medications. $200,000 is about what I would expect.
English is not your first language, is it?
One Nation under god that doesn't really care about the least of us
Europe doesn't have this problem. That's why the republicans hate europe.
Republicans want Americans to be scared all the time and to live their lives in fear. That makes them easier to control.
tomasedison,
you hit the nail on the head.
Their "Push The Fear Factor" goes hand in hand with efforts to grind our public education system into dust.
If Obama doesn't start twisting some arms in Congress soon, we could end up like North Korea where none but the elites and the military "enjoy" healthcare and a halfway decent diet.
You are so true. The people who fight against the systems in Europe HATE AMERICA AND ITS' PEOPLE. We need to be SCARED of the Republicans, the insurance companies and Pharma.
They are our greatest enemies, not even terrorism presents the real danger to the continuation of our society as do these people. They hate America and love the GREEDY, THIEVING companies more than they do the continuation of this country and its' people.
It is nice to know that you think that 30% of America hate this country,..
So why all the people trying to get to US instead of Europe?
Proud Neocon,
How is your job at the insurance company? Enjoying those bonuses are you?
This has got to end - for the health of Americans and for the economic health of our nation!
"Solution, blame company."
-Lib A-h_ 0 Le.
New sock, shortbus? heh
Although reeling from a bad economy caused by the neo con theft of trillions of dollars world wide ,citizens of civilized nations still have health care and no corporate flunky is cutting their ability to live in good health so a corporation can swim in vast wealth.
Could we please stop the debate on the "headline"?
First off, the headline I am seeing isn't "misleading" in any way.
It says, "Medical Bills UNDERLIE 60 percent".
For those with "Comprehension Difficulty Syndrome" (CDS), that means that "Medical Bills" form the basis for, or are the foundation of "60% of U.S. Bankruptcies".
That DOES NOT mean they are the ULTIMATE CAUSE, but are CONTRIBUTING as a part (often the "Primary" or first part) of a causal chain of events. This shouldn't be difficult to understand.
Secondly; You are not impressing anyone by "discovering" a point that was HIGHLIGHTED IN THE ARTICLE! The very fact that they made significant note of it, and provided an explanation for why they included it in their estimate, SHOULD indicate that there is NO DECEPTION here.
Quit whipping the horse that the author already shot!
It is sad that people sometimes choose death over medical treatment so they will be able to have some money left for their kids.
Administrative Costs:
Medicare 2.1%
Private Insurance 30%
No Brainer! Single-Payer!
27.9% Savings/30% = 93% savings!
Other countries have it and live longer with a higher quality of life.
__________
Baucus and Nelson want to preserve the Insurance company profits as they are paid to do!
They must go! Even if we get a new insurance plan they will make sure their buddies get the BIG $$$$$$$!
Only Buffett and AIG will have to tighten their belts!
Nelson's Top Campaign Funding Sources:
Insurance $1,196,799
Lawyers/Law Firms $817,959
Securities & Investment $402,610
Health Professionals $401,345
Nelson's Top Donors (Buffett #1 again):
Berkshire Hathaway $75,550 Warren Buffett
Level 3 Communications $66,750
Union Pacific Corp $65,950
Blue Cross/Blue Shield $61,523
Nebraska Beef $49,400
NelNet Inc $49,100
Mutual of Omaha $46,100
Baucus's Campaign Funding Sources:
Lawyers/Law Firms $1,604,523
Securities & Investment $1,464,485
Insurance $1,184,113
Health Professionals $1,026,726
Pharmaceut
Lobbyists $724,484
Baucus's Top Donors (AIG #1 again among insurance cos):
American International Group $91,000
Goldman Sachs $87,900
New York Life Insurance $87,425
JPMorgan Chase & Co $77,402
Schering-Plough Corp $75,200
Citigroup Inc $72,000
Blue Cross/Blue Shield $67,699
Source: opensecret
Taylor,
Great info. Thanks.
Hi Everyone!
HR-676 Medicare for ALL who want it. This is the best approach to solving our health care crisis as stated by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I).
to learn more about the HR-676 bill in the House, click here:
http://www
Note: Here is a video of President Obama in 2003 supporting
public one payer health care system http://www
What's happened? We need to ask him, and tell him we demand HR-676 be passed. No more insurance dictating what care we will get--no more bankruptcy. No more preexisting this and that, no more sky high premiums.
Let the people choose, pass this plan, for those who want to enroll, take it--let the best program win.
Say NO TO TRIGGERS!
Stand up to Sen Max Baucus--call his office and demand HR-676 as an option for those who want it. 202-224-2651, fax--202-224-9412
Most excellent point! Cost of administering SS?
Cut off my post---it's
SS:
Life? liberty and the pursuit of healthiness.
Unfortunately in this country health is a privilege and not a right.
It's the new Republican American dream. You work your entire life contributing to society. You raise your children to be good citizens and hope the best for them. Then as life progresses, you get sick, perhaps your lose your job. You may have insurance, but it pay very little. Now, after a lifetime of work, you get sick and turn everything you have worked so hard for, to the bankruptcy courts.
Yes indeed, the is the Republican's American dream. Trouble is that it's being brought to you by the Democratic party now.
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First Posted: 06- 4-09 01:36 AM | Updated: 06- 4-09 01:50 AM