Medical-related bankruptcies spiked significantly from 2002-2007, according to David Himmelstein, professor of public health at City University in New York and associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.
According to a Murfreesboro Post report, Mr. Himmelstein said the vast majority of those bankruptcies involved people who had some insurance. Because coverage is inadequate for serious illness or accidents, patients face high premiums, copayments and deductibles, as well as conditions that aren't covered by insurance.
In a report released earlier this month, Mr. Himmelstein and his colleagues examined Massachusetts in 2009, three years after the state passed a law that mandated universal coverage. The results showed that medical bankruptcies did not decrease and, according to Mr. Himmelstein, patients only "traded uninsurance for underinsurance."
Read the national medical bankruptcy study here and the Massachusetts medical bankruptcy study here.
Read the Murfreesboro Post report on medical bankruptcies.
Read more on medical bills:
-LA Times: Medical Bills Need Reconstructive Surgery
-Patients Want to Communicate With Their Providers Online an Opportunity for Surgery Centers
-MedDraft Announces Launch of Payment Website for Providers and Patients
According to a Murfreesboro Post report, Mr. Himmelstein said the vast majority of those bankruptcies involved people who had some insurance. Because coverage is inadequate for serious illness or accidents, patients face high premiums, copayments and deductibles, as well as conditions that aren't covered by insurance.
In a report released earlier this month, Mr. Himmelstein and his colleagues examined Massachusetts in 2009, three years after the state passed a law that mandated universal coverage. The results showed that medical bankruptcies did not decrease and, according to Mr. Himmelstein, patients only "traded uninsurance for underinsurance."
Read the national medical bankruptcy study here and the Massachusetts medical bankruptcy study here.
Read the Murfreesboro Post report on medical bankruptcies.
Read more on medical bills:
-LA Times: Medical Bills Need Reconstructive Surgery
-Patients Want to Communicate With Their Providers Online an Opportunity for Surgery Centers
-MedDraft Announces Launch of Payment Website for Providers and Patients