7/10 bankruptcies due to med bills also have insurance. GOP to blame, somehow

[SSG Snuggle Bunny]

The OP seems to say that the HCR law was a giant steaming turd built on a mountain of bullshit:

girl gone mad Donating Member (1000+ posts) Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list    Wed Dec-15-10 11:21 PM
Original message
Most Driven Into Debt by Medical Bills HAVE Health Insurance
   
From 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 notes:

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



Similarly, 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 pointed out last year:

      Sixty-two percent of all bankruptcies filed in 2007 were linked to medical expenses, according to a nationwide 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?

more...

But the cognitive dissonance thunders too loudly in their ears:

walldude Donating Member (1000+ posts)  Journal Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list    Wed Dec-15-10 11:24 PM
Response to Original message
1. Republicans like you to think that most bankruptcy is filed
   
by people who run up massive credit card debt. TOTAL LIE.

Hey, jackass, the OP isn't talking about bankruptcy in general but bankruptcy due to medical bills in particular.

mstinamotorcity Donating Member (1000+ posts)  Journal Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list    Wed Dec-15-10 11:29 PM
Response to Original message
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.

Dude. Wait...what?

applegrove Donating Member (1000+ posts) Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list    Wed Dec-15-10 11:31 PM
Response to Original message
4. Obama has to stop the GOP cold when they try and undo health care.

So the fact that 7/10 of medical bankruptcies involve people with insurance justifies mandating everyone buy insurance or go to jail.

somehow

leftstreet Donating Member (1000+ posts)  Journal Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list    Wed Dec-15-10 11:34 PM
Response to Original message
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...

Aim higher.

Carolina (1000+ posts) Click to send private message to this author Click to view this author's profile Click to add this author to your buddy list Click to add this author to your Ignore list    Wed Dec-15-10 11:43 PM
Response to Reply #6
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!

Why settle for a mere fraction when we can ALL go broke.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x17190

[true_blood]

Carolina (1000+ posts)  Wed Dec-15-10 11:43 PM
Response to Reply #6
8. exactly which is why we needed a public option.    (rriiiiggghhhhtttttttt. )
Obama's HCR is not helpful.     (You speak the truth DUmmie.)
You can be employed with insurance but you are so right about all those expenses that increase out of pocket costs!   (Yeah, like an imposter in the White Mosque passing a Hellcare bill.)

[jukin]

Want to know why? Medicaid and medicare. These two programs pay about 35% of what the hospital charges insured patients, typically 60-90 days out. Consequently, the private inured patients pay about 50% of their bill to keep these wisely run programs. 

99% of every problem that we have today is directly due to government interference in the private markets.

[AllosaursRus]

Well I had insurance to start with during my last bout with my back. Due to paperwork snafus, I lost my insurance about half way in. Unfortunately, they neglected to let me know I was no longer covered until I had run up 2 months of MRI's, Cat Scans, and other related high tech tests!

Don't know if it was HD or Aetna who dropped the ball, but I was left holdin' the bill! It's somewhere around 30 grand now! More than likely goin' to have to go bankrupt unless I can find a job soon! It sucks! I spent years fine tuning my credit, now it looks like I have to start all over again!

If I had known to start with, I probably could have afforded to go on cobra, that is before ObwanaCare totally screwed up the system! It went from $250/month to $500/month within 60 days!

Sorry, but I don't have $500 just layin' around when I'm unable to work! Cows hafta eat, too! I'll eventually get on the wifes insurance, until then, know anyone needin' a desk jockey?

[delilahmused]

I understand even with copays medical bills can be pretty outrageous but I still don't see why anyone has to file for bankruptcy. Whatever happened to payment arrangements? I've yet to have a billing department that wouldn't work with me and what monthly payment I could afford. How much could they recover if someone filed for bankruptcy vs. getting monthly payments, albeit over a long period a time?

Cindie

[AllosaursRus]

I understand even with copays medical bills can be pretty outrageous but I still don't see why anyone has to file for bankruptcy. Whatever happened to payment arrangements? I've yet to have a billing department that wouldn't work with me and what monthly payment I could afford. How much could they recover if someone filed for bankruptcy vs. getting monthly payments, albeit over a long period a time?

Cindie

It appears to me some of my creditors will indeed work out a payment plan, but others are more than willing to just turn it over for collection. This will of course give some worm, cart blanche to start raiding my assets! I had some pretty revolting experiences way back when with some pretty vicious collectors after 9/11.

Sorry, but I won't allow everything I have worked for, to go to the chopping block because of some clerical error by my former employer or the insurance company! If I had been told my insurance had been canceled, I wouldn't have run up the debt.

There are times when you have no other choice!