79 Million Americans Struggle to Pay Medical Bills

[Bangkoktraveler]

Washington Post

August 20, 2008

 

Working-age Americans are facing mounting problems when it comes to affording health care, a result of what analysts are calling a "perfect storm" of economic woes.

 

In 2007, 41 percent of working-age Americans -- 72 million people -- reported having medical bill problems or trouble paying off medical debts, up from 34 percent in 2005.

 

Another 7 million adults over 65 had similar problems, bringing the total to 79 million adults struggling to pay health-care bills, according to a new study from The Commonwealth Fund,Losing Ground: How the Loss of Adequate Health Insurance Is Burdening Working Families.

 

"These findings provide further evidence that the health system is falling short of where it needs to be to ensure health and economic security," Karen Davis, president of The Commonwealth Fund, said at a Tuesday teleconference. "We need a new administration to make universal and affordable health insurance available," she said.

 

Also unsettling is the fact that adults in more income groups are being affected.

 

"What is notable is how this is spreading up the income scale," said Commonwealth Fund assistant vice president Sara Collins.

 

The survey, based on telephone interviews conducted between June 6 and Oct. 24, 2007 with 3,501 adults aged 19 and older in the continental U.S, found problems across multiple fronts:

 

In 2007, nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults under 65 (116 million people) reported having problems with medical bills or debt, having put off needed care due to cost, or being uninsured or underinsured and consequently having high out-of-pocket medical costs relative to their income.Although such problems were seen across the board, they were particularly pronounced among low- and moderate-income families. More than half of adults earning less than $40,000 annually reported problems paying medical bills or being in debt as a result of health care expenses. Thirty-nine percent of people with mounting bills or debts said they had depleted their savings to pay off bills; 29 percent were having problems paying for food, heat, rent and other basic necessities; and 30 percent had accumulated credit card debt. Many are also foregoing medical care, including medications: 45 percent of adults reported problems getting care because of rising costs (up from 29 percent in 2001). One-third of respondents reported spending 10 percent or more of their income on medical costs, including premiums, in 2007, up from 21 percent in 2001. About one-quarter of working-age adults with medical debt owe $4,000 or more while 12 percent owe $8,000 or more in medical expenses. Twenty-eight percent of working-age U.S. adults (about 50 million people) were uninsured for at least part of 2007, up from 24 percent in 2001. Fourteen percent of working-age adults (25 million people) were underinsured, up from 9 percent in 2003. Sixty-one percent of those with medical bill problems or accumulated medical debt were insured at the time care was provided. "Even adults with insurance reported problems in getting needed care," Collins noted.

 

Americans were experiencing the burdens outlined in the survey during a time of relative economic levity, the researchers pointed out. "Even in 2007, when the economic slow-down hadn't really taken hold, you found that 29 percent of those with medical bill problems or accrued medical debt reported being unable to pay for basic necessities like food, heat, rent," Davis said.

 

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[Faustian]

God bless the republicans.

[Old Hippie]

Actually, a republican first proposed national health care. Nixon. Not a bad president in some respects. Of course others would call him a commie pinko socialist for doing so. And over the years, it has been his old party that fights to make sure we don't get any health care, while they get the best.

 

To me, we should take away the government's health care, that is all senators and congress, president etc...until they come up with a plan that gives us as good a plan as they currently have.

[Julian2]

Let's get a little realism here, what's 79 million as a percentage of the population?

About twenty percent. That's all the layabouts who don't want to work, hippies that squander their money on trips to Thailand, people who have been on the welfare for generations... these people don't deserve medical care.

[cavanami]

Errrrr, 20% is a lot of people, no matter who, what and whatever.

 

...and it is only going to get worse.

 

Anyone remember the movie Solient

[Al]

Anyone remember the movie Solient

 

"Soylent Green is people", Charlton Heston

[Bangkoktraveler]

Actually, a republican first proposed national health care. Nixon. Not a bad president in some respects. Of course others would call him a commie pinko socialist for doing so. And over the years, it has been his old party that fights to make sure we don't get any health care, while they get the best.

 

To me, we should take away the government's health care, that is all senators and congress, president etc...until they come up with a plan that gives us as good a plan as they currently have.

 

I say take health insurance away from all government employees. The Reason: We can not afford it, at least that is what they tell us.

 

[Barry]

Does anyone get free health care there? eg, if a 75yo man has prostate cancer but little money, will he be able to get treatment?

[Steve]

LA County by city law, has free health care at a lot of county facilities. I have used it once. Long wait, long lines, a lot of homeless but they have it.

 

That said, its not comprehensive, a lot of testing for VDs and basic med stuff. No brain surgery or open heart transplants happening at these places.

 

Anyway, national healthcare can be successful but it will be a complete disaster the way the government and present health system is right now.

 

First, the HMOs, Pharmaceutical companies, the doctors [AMA (American Medical Association)], own the politicians, so any health care system will serve them first and if any residual benefit to the people will be accidental.

 

The AMA will always limit the number of doctors, to maintain high wages and power. The AMA was against HMOs, national healthcare, just about every idea that would make health care better for the people.

 

A national health care system would encompass about 20% of the economy I heard, directly and indirectly, and if that turns out to be a disaster like medicaid, social security, fannie mae, etc., it will probably be the the thing that tips us over into insolvency when coupled with the other major government programs.

 

A couple recommendations:

 

* The AMA is a private organization. Provide a government qualification at state/public medical schools that allows more doctors to get into medical school. The quality won't go down as the AMA tries to say. There are tons of valedictarians with straight A's that they turn down who could easily be a doctor in England, Canada, Germany, etc. but the AMA and med schools have an unofficial quoata on the number of people they will allow to be doctors. Also, allow more foreign doctors to come in the country.

 

Same for nurses and other clinicians (anesthesiologists, etc.)

 

* Offer pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, anyone really, a cash reward for a cure or medicine that treats major deseases like cancer, HIV, etc. work with the UN and all nations chip in and provide a bounty of say 100 billion for the cure for cancer. 50 billion for HIV, etc. That amount when spread over all countries is affordable and it would provide any company or country that came with the cure far more than the amount spent on research and development as well as profits.

 

 

[Old Hippie]

Does anyone get free health care there? eg, if a 75yo man has prostate cancer but little money, will he be able to get treatment?

 

 

There is Medicare, and Medicaid, but it doesn't cover everything.

 

I just know the politicians all have really great comprehensive health care, yet they won't give us the same. So yes, I agree, do to them as they did to us in the airline and other industries, cut their salaries and benefits in the name of saving money, then give us a zillion dollar bonus for doing so. To me the health care system is a shake down, you are sick and in pain? well then pay us mother fucker! or else suffer.