Comments on: Medical costs contribute to half of bankruptcies http://healthcare-economist.com/2007/06/05/medical-costs-contribute-to-half-of-bankruptcies/ Tue, 22 May 2012 08:04:55 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Health Care BS » Blog Archive » Exhuming a Bogus Bankruptcy Study http://healthcare-economist.com/2007/06/05/medical-costs-contribute-to-half-of-bankruptcies/comment-page-1/#comment-276 Health Care BS » Blog Archive » Exhuming a Bogus Bankruptcy Study Wed, 06 Jun 2007 18:49:44 +0000 http://healthcare-economist.com/2007/06/05/medical-costs-contribute-to-half-of-bankruptcies/#comment-276 [...] Healthcare Economist has exhumed a hopelessly flawed study that was buried by the facts last February. As I discuss [...] [...] Healthcare Economist has exhumed a hopelessly flawed study that was buried by the facts last February. As I discuss [...]

]]> By: Josh http://healthcare-economist.com/2007/06/05/medical-costs-contribute-to-half-of-bankruptcies/comment-page-1/#comment-275 Josh Wed, 06 Jun 2007 03:16:10 +0000 http://healthcare-economist.com/2007/06/05/medical-costs-contribute-to-half-of-bankruptcies/#comment-275 You're joking right? I normally enjoy reading your blog, but you can't honestly publish dribble like this and pass it off as fact. right?? This is one of the classic "should not have been published" articles except for the fact that it gives the left a great sound bite to bitch about American health care. Medical Bankruptcy: Myth Versus Fact http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/abstract/25/2/w74?rss=1 "David Himmelstein and colleagues recently contended that medical problems contribute to 54.5 percent of personal bankruptcies and threaten the solvency of solidly middle-class Americans. They propose comprehensive national health insurance as a solution. A reexamination of their data suggests that medical bills are a contributing factor in just 17 percent of personal bankruptcies and that those affected tend to have incomes closer to poverty level than to middle class. Moreover, for national health insurance to have an impact, it would have to define "medical" expenses in a much broader way than is now typical of either private or government-funded plans." Seriously, if we're going to have a legitimate discussion on HC systems, both sides need to play fair. Oh, and the answer is the free market. Not socialism. You’re joking right? I normally enjoy reading your blog, but you can’t honestly publish dribble like this and pass it off as fact. right??

This is one of the classic “should not have been published” articles except for the fact that it gives the left a great sound bite to bitch about American health care.

Medical Bankruptcy: Myth Versus Fact
http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/content/abstract/25/2/w74?rss=1

“David Himmelstein and colleagues recently contended that medical problems contribute to 54.5 percent of personal bankruptcies and threaten the solvency of solidly middle-class Americans. They propose comprehensive national health insurance as a solution. A reexamination of their data suggests that medical bills are a contributing factor in just 17 percent of personal bankruptcies and that those affected tend to have incomes closer to poverty level than to middle class. Moreover, for national health insurance to have an impact, it would have to define “medical” expenses in a much broader way than is now typical of either private or government-funded plans.”

Seriously, if we’re going to have a legitimate discussion on HC systems, both sides need to play fair.

Oh, and the answer is the free market. Not socialism.

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