Unaffordable Costs
Thursday, 25 June 2009
Our medical system drives staggering numbers of families to financial ruin. It is now commonplace to hear stories of families, co-workers, and churches holding fundraisers and garage sales to pay for medical bills.
- Number of bankruptcies in the US in 2001: 1,458,000 [7]
- Percent of these bankruptcies for which illness was a significant cause: 50 [7]
- Percent increase in bankruptcies between 1981 and 2001: 360 [7]
- Percent increase in medical bankruptcies between 1981 and 2001: 2,200 [7]
- Percent of medical bankruptcies in which the sick person was insured when they fell ill: 75.7 [7]
- Percent of these bankruptcies that happen to the middle class: 90 [4]
- Percent of terminally ill patients reporting that medical costs caused financial problems: 39 [7]
- Rank of “lapse in health insurance coverage during the two years” as a predictor of medical bankruptcy: 1 [7]
- Rank of US in fairness of financial contribution to health care: 55 [13]
- Rank of Iraq: 56 [13]
Last Updated - Thursday, 25 June 2009
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Health Care for All—California
(888) 442-4255
Health Care for All—California
(888) 442-4255