Maybe you didn’t read this when it was released:

Illness And Injury As Contributors To Bankruptcy
Even universal coverage could leave many Americans vulnerable to bankruptcy unless such coverage was more comprehensive than many current policies.
by David U. Himmelstein, Elizabeth Warren, Deborah Thorne, and Steffie Woolhandler
ABSTRACT: In 2001, 1.458 million American families filed for bankruptcy. To investigate medical contributors to bankruptcy, we surveyed 1,771 personal bankruptcy filers in five federal courts and subsequently completed in-depth interviews with 931 of them. About
half cited medical causes, which indicates that 1.9–2.2 million Americans (filers plus dependents) experienced medical bankruptcy. Among those whose illnesses led to bankruptcy, out-of-pocket costs averaged $11,854 since the start of illness; 75.7 percent had insurance at the onset of illness. Medical debtors were 42 percent more likely than other debtors to experience lapses in coverage. Even middle-class insured families often fall prey to financial catastrophe when sick.

Essentially, they say that 1/2 of all bankruptcies have a significant medical component to them.

Left by Preston on February 18th, 2008 at 11:03 pm

Dang, just reading quotes from her incoherent ramblings gives me a brain cramp.

I never listen to Mr. or Mrs. Barack Hussein Obama, there’s nothing there, but empty rhetoric. I was watching the returns on Fox the night of Super Tuesday, and was only watching the streamer at the bottom of the screen, while the hosts had “expert” after “expert” discussing what was happening. At some point, B-HO came on giving his speech, which has come to be called messianic by many, so I turned the amp off, so I wouldn’t have to listen to his drivel. What I saw was very interesting. As his gums kept flapping, I watched his facial expressions and body language, as he would blather and then wait for his duped minions to stop applauding. B-HO had many of the same mannerisms I have seen for years in old films of Mussolini. I’ve told several friends, and they have gone to a video of B-HO and watched with no sound, and have told me they agree, he acts just like Mussolini.

I came across a letter to the editor the other day, and this really nails the fanaticism following B-HO.

Obamamania and the Liberals

I have a theory as to why the MSM and the liberal pundits are falling in love with Obama (Chris Matthews recently had a “Thrill go up his leg” while listening to Obama). Obama’s speeches remind me of the sermons given by a preacher at one of those mega churches. They give feel good sermons using words like change and hope. Now a lot of conservatives go to church on a regular basis and they hear oratory like Obama gives all the time and they wonder what all the fuss is about. A lot of liberals on the other hand don’t go to church and they have never heard “sermons” like this before and it really affects them emotionally. I just hope once the two parties have chosen their candidates (More than likely Obama and McCain) we can get down to more substance and less emotion.

Danny Huddleston
Houston, Texas

Left by no2liberals on February 18th, 2008 at 11:06 pm

I have mixed feelings here. I don’t buy into much of what Barack or his wife says as a general rule. All they do is promise and with such polish that everybody believes them. We all know the only way everything they promise can be accomplished is to drastically raise taxes. That aside,

I think about the only thing bankruptcy should be allowed for IS medical expenses. Take for example my sister. Diagnosed with a rapidly growing cancer. Immediate action was necessary. Within a day she was undergoing radiation followed by chemotherapy. She had insurance but the problem was she was in an out of network area at the time and the hospital ended up charging her $40,000 over and above what her insurance paid. She didn’t know there was an out of network clause and the clinic never told her. They didn’t claim bankruptcy… They are paying it off monthly yet the hospital continues to threaten them all the time. I would have fought it tooth and nail but they are paying it.

This kind of thing worries me even with the promised universal health insurance. If she hadn’t received treatment within a couple of days of diagnosis, she might not be alive today. Will universal coverage be comprehensive enough that it would allow people to go where the care is best (such as Mayo or MD Anderson, etc.) or will we be stuck with what is available in our area or network. I suspect the latter.

Anyhow, it’s not hard for me to imagine medical bankruptcies having seen how it could happen even with insurance.

Left by dianne on February 19th, 2008 at 8:57 am

Preston — what say you to Obama “going to fix your soul”?

Left by Robbie Cooper on February 19th, 2008 at 9:41 am

priceless Michelle saying she was never proud to ba an american

[EDITOR --- I just posted about Michelle's latest idiotic remark here. Also, I edited the term that you used for Michelle Obama --- I'm not sure exactly what it meant, but it had some very uncomfortable racial connotations that I won't allow here.]

Left by chisolm on February 19th, 2008 at 10:11 am

Dianne, what you can expect with commie health care is shortages, and health care officials and workers that just plain don’t give a damn.
Here’s an example.

Left by no2liberals on February 19th, 2008 at 2:04 pm

Seems the author has never been appreciably sick before and incurred considerable expense at the hands of some privatized corrupt insurance company. Those guys make huge cash and it’s not from healthy people, because everybody by and large gets sick at some point in their lives, and uses what they put in.

one day you’ll understand…

Left by Steve on February 28th, 2008 at 4:30 pm

[...] Our souls are broken. And only Obamassiah! knows and understand this. Only Obamassiah! can fix and save our broken souls. (I’m paraphrasing) [...]

Left by UrbanGrounds » Blog Archive » Why Does Michelle Obama Hate America So Much? on August 26th, 2008 at 7:38 am