Medical woes cause half of personal bankruptcies, and insurance is no protection, a Harvard study shows.
By Associated Press
Published February 2, 2005
BOSTON - Costly illnesses trigger about half of personal bankruptcies, and health insurance offers no protection against ending up penniless, according to findings from a Harvard University study to be released Wednesday.
Researchers from Harvard's law and medical schools said the findings underscore the inadequacy of many private insurance plans that offer worst-case catastrophic coverage, but little financial security for less severe illnesses.
"Unless you're Bill Gates, you're just one serious illness away from bankruptcy," said Dr. David Himmelstein, the study's lead author and an associate professor of medicine. "Most of the medically bankrupt were average Americans who happened to get sick."
The study, to be published online today by the journal Health Affairs, distributed questionnaires to 1,771 bankruptcy filers in 2001 in California, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas. That year, 1.46-million personal bankruptcies were filed in the United States.
More than 900 of those questioned underwent more detailed interviews about their financial and medical circumstances for what the authors say is the first in-depth study of medical causes of personal bankruptcies, which have risen rapidly in recent years.
Illness and medical bills were cited as the cause, at least in part, for 46.2 percent of the personal bankruptcies in the study. Himmelstein said the figure rose to 54.5 percent when three factors were counted as medical-related triggers for bankruptcies: births, deaths and pathological gambling addiction.
The study estimates medical-caused bankruptcies affect about 2-million Americans each year, counting debtors and their dependents, including 700,000 children.
Most of those seeking court protection from creditors had health insurance, with more than three-quarters reporting they had coverage at the start of the illness that triggered bankruptcy.
The study said 38 percent lost coverage at least temporarily by the time they filed for bankruptcy, with illness frequently leading to the loss of a job and insurance.
Medical expenses covering copayments, 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. Those who initially had private coverage but lost it during their illness faced the highest cost, an average of $18,005.
"We need to rethink health reform," said Dr. Steffie Woolhandler, a study co-author and associate professor of medicine at Harvard. "Covering the uninsured isn't enough. We also must upgrade and guarantee continuous coverage for those who have insurance."
Findings indicate medical-related bankruptcies hit middle-class families hard - 56 percent of filers owned a home, and the same number had attended college.
"Families with coverage faced unaffordable copayments, deductibles and bills for uncovered items like physical therapy, psychiatric care and prescription drugs," Himmelstein said.
The study, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, did not examine how many bankruptcy filers were from dual-income families where both partners had insurance, Himmelstein said.
By Associated Press
Published February 2, 2005
BOSTON - Costly illnesses trigger about half of personal bankruptcies, and health insurance offers no protection against ending up penniless, according to findings from a Harvard University study to be released Wednesday.
Researchers from Harvard's law and medical schools said the findings underscore the inadequacy of many private insurance plans that offer worst-case catastrophic coverage, but little financial security for less severe illnesses.
"Unless you're Bill Gates, you're just one serious illness away from bankruptcy," said Dr. David Himmelstein, the study's lead author and an associate professor of medicine. "Most of the medically bankrupt were average Americans who happened to get sick."
The study, to be published online today by the journal Health Affairs, distributed questionnaires to 1,771 bankruptcy filers in 2001 in California, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas. That year, 1.46-million personal bankruptcies were filed in the United States.
More than 900 of those questioned underwent more detailed interviews about their financial and medical circumstances for what the authors say is the first in-depth study of medical causes of personal bankruptcies, which have risen rapidly in recent years.
Illness and medical bills were cited as the cause, at least in part, for 46.2 percent of the personal bankruptcies in the study. Himmelstein said the figure rose to 54.5 percent when three factors were counted as medical-related triggers for bankruptcies: births, deaths and pathological gambling addiction.
The study estimates medical-caused bankruptcies affect about 2-million Americans each year, counting debtors and their dependents, including 700,000 children.
Most of those seeking court protection from creditors had health insurance, with more than three-quarters reporting they had coverage at the start of the illness that triggered bankruptcy.
The study said 38 percent lost coverage at least temporarily by the time they filed for bankruptcy, with illness frequently leading to the loss of a job and insurance.
Medical expenses covering copayments, 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. Those who initially had private coverage but lost it during their illness faced the highest cost, an average of $18,005.
"We need to rethink health reform," said Dr. Steffie Woolhandler, a study co-author and associate professor of medicine at Harvard. "Covering the uninsured isn't enough. We also must upgrade and guarantee continuous coverage for those who have insurance."
Findings indicate medical-related bankruptcies hit middle-class families hard - 56 percent of filers owned a home, and the same number had attended college.
"Families with coverage faced unaffordable copayments, deductibles and bills for uncovered items like physical therapy, psychiatric care and prescription drugs," Himmelstein said.
The study, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, did not examine how many bankruptcy filers were from dual-income families where both partners had insurance, Himmelstein said.