| Medical bankruptcy in the United States, 2007: results of a national study. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 19501347 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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BACKGROUND: Our 2001 study in 5 states found that medical problems contributed to at least 46.2% of all bankruptcies. Since then, health costs and the numbers of un- and underinsured have increased, and bankruptcy laws have tightened. METHODS: We surveyed a random national sample of 2314 bankruptcy filers in 2007, abstracted their court records, and interviewed 1032 of them. We designated bankruptcies as "medical" based on debtors' stated reasons for filing, income loss due to illness, and the magnitude of their medical debts. RESULTS: Using a conservative definition, 62.1% of all bankruptcies in 2007 were medical; 92% of these medical debtors had medical debts over $5000, or 10% of pretax family income. The rest met criteria for medical bankruptcy because they had lost significant income due to illness or mortgaged a home to pay medical bills. Most medical debtors were well educated, owned homes, and had middle-class occupations. Three quarters had health insurance. Using identical definitions in 2001 and 2007, the share of bankruptcies attributable to medical problems rose by 49.6%. In logistic regression analysis controlling for demographic factors, the odds that a bankruptcy had a medical cause was 2.38-fold higher in 2007 than in 2001. CONCLUSIONS: Illness and medical bills contribute to a large and increasing share of US bankruptcies. |
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Authors:
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David U Himmelstein; Deborah Thorne; Elizabeth Warren; Steffie Woolhandler |
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Publication Detail:
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Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't Date: 2009-06-06 |
Journal Detail:
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Title: The American journal of medicine Volume: 122 ISSN: 1555-7162 ISO Abbreviation: Am. J. Med. Publication Date: 2009 Aug |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2009-07-28 Completed Date: 2009-08-18 Revised Date: - |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 0267200 Medline TA: Am J Med Country: United States |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: 741-6 Citation Subset: AIM; IM |
Affiliation:
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Department of Medicine, Cambridge Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, Mass 02139, USA. dhimmelstein@challiance.org |
Export Citation:
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| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
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Adult Bankruptcy / economics*, legislation & jurisprudence, statistics & numerical data Cost of Illness Data Collection Economics Health Care Costs Health Expenditures / statistics & numerical data* Humans Medically Uninsured / statistics & numerical data United States |
| Comments/Corrections | |
Comment In:
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Am J Med. 2009 Aug;122(8):699
[PMID:
19635266
]
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From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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