ERD50 said:That study is often misquoted. The unpaid medical bills were not necesarily the cause of the bankruptcy. They just lumped anyone with an unpaid medical bill into that category.
Not that it isn't a major problem for some, but that report throws it all out of wack.
There is much more debunking in the full article.
Oh, it's OK with me if you don't like the 'National Review' - look at the content and see if you disagree with what is reported, rather than where it comes from. It has been reported elsewhere, but it is tough to Google this due to the repetition of the article without the critique.
-ERD50
This all refers to a Harvard study about medical issues and bankruptcy. The study abstract says:
"In 2001, 1.458 million American families filed for bankruptcy. To investigate medical contributors to bankruptcy, we surveyed 1,771 personal bankruptcy filers in five federal courts and subsequently completed in-depth interviews with 931 of them. About half cited medical causes, which indicates that 1.9-2.2 million Americans (filers plus dependents) experienced medical bankruptcy. Among those whose illnesses led to bankruptcy, out-of-pocket costs average $11,854 since the start of illness; 75.7 percent had insurance at the onset of illness. Medical debtors were 42 percent more likely than other debtors to experience lapses in coverage. Even middle-class insured families often fall prey to financial catastrophe when sick."
A subsequent review through the US Trustee's office of bankruptcy petitions showed 78% of bankruptcy petitions list medical debt of less that $5000. So it is difficult to figure out how much medical bills contribute to bankruptcy.
However, there are plenty of people that have so little that garnishment of wages resulting from a $5000 medical bill can send them into bankruptcy. Also, even if medical bills are paid by insurance, the medical problems can mean loss of time from work that might not be paid or even the loss of a job. Also, people live on such tight budgets that the slightest little slip can mean a bankruptcy. So if you are living on the edge, anything can tip you over.
But of course, this doesn't apply to Tango, who is living far from the edge.