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Healthcare for the 99%
Public Group active 2 days, 11 hours agoHealthcare for the 99% is an open and evolving group of community members, health activists, and health workers. We meet every Sunday at 4pm at 60 Wall St. We have subcommittees (like Outreach) that also meet on […]
Healthcare for the 99% is an open and evolving group of community members, health activists, and health workers. We meet every Sunday at 4pm at 60 Wall St. We have subcommittees (like Outreach) that also meet on different schedules, but contact us to find out the details.
We work together in solidarity to:
SUPPORT the OWS Medic and Medical Support teams with health professionals and supplies
EDUCATE using teach-ins, town-hall meetings, canvassing, rallies, and marches to raise awareness of the root causes of health injustice and the fight for real solutions
AMPLIFY the voices of patients and community groups, who have been largely shut out of mainstream policy debates on “healthcare reform”
AGITATE for real solutions to these problems at the local, state, and national level including a single-payer system and additional necessary health reforms to bring about health justice for all regardless of financial status, race, gender, gender identity, sexuality, immigration status, disability, or any other factor
Healthcare for the 99% Education of the Week for 1/22/12: Bankruptcy & Healthcare in The US
Healthcare for the 99% Education of the Week: Bankruptcy & Healthcare in The US
The following is a brief summary of a journal article and two abstracts that examine the link of medical expenses and bankruptcy (Prepared by D. Lugassy for 1/22/12 HCF99 Meeting)
1) Himmelstein DU, Thorne D, Warren E, Woolhandler S. Medical bankruptcy in the United States, 2007: results of a national study. Am J Med. 2009 Aug;122(8):741-6. Epub 2009 Jun 6.
-Random national sample of 2314 bankruptcy filers in 2007
-Bankruptcies as “medical” based on debtors’ stated reasons for filing, income loss due to illness, and the magnitude of their medical debts
-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
-78% of those filers had medical insurance at the start of their illness, including 60.3% who had private coverage, not Medicare or Medicaid
-2001 and 2007, the share of bankruptcies attributable to medical problems rose by 49.6%, Odds that a bankruptcy had a medical cause was 2.38-fold higher in 2007 than in 2001
2) Y. Zafar, A. M. Goetzinger, R. Fowler, et. Al. Impact of out-of-pocket expenses on cancer care. J Clin Oncol 29: 2011 (suppl; abstr 6006)
-127 patients were enrolled, all were insured; 64% had Medicare or Medicare plus supplemental insurance. 22% were employed, 51% were retired, and 73% had annual household income <$40,000. 45% perceived a significant or catastrophic financial burden with OOPE. OOPE averaged $1266/month
-The largest proportion of OOPE was attributed to prescription medication ($523/month, 41%). Other monthly costs included: medical equipment ($197; 14%), travel ($122; 10%), special diet ($72; 6%), and non-prescription drugs ($68; 5%)
-To cope with OOPE, 52% spent less on food and clothing, 76% spent less on leisure activities like eating out or movies, 47% used all or part of their savings, 30% did not fill prescriptions
-20% took less medication than prescribed, and 49% borrowed money to pay for prescriptions
3) S. D. Ramsey, C. R. Fedorenko, K. S. Snell, et. al. Cancer diagnosis as a risk factor for personal bankruptcy. J Clin Oncol 29: 2011 (suppl; abstr 6007)
-Newly diagnosed first primary cancers between 1995-2009, excluding cancers in situ or diagnosed at death
-Authors calculated the conditional probability of personal bankruptcy (chapters 7 and 13)
-231,799 cancer cases; 4,805 (2.1%) filed for bankruptcy
-Median time to bankruptcy was 2.5 years
-Lung, thyroid, and leukemia/lymphoma cancers: highest conditional probabilities at 1 year
-Bankruptcy risk was higher for lung, colorectal and breast cancer cases receiving surgery and chemotherapy
-Patients over age 65, who are typically on Medicare, have a much lower risk of bankruptcy than younger patients.
Bottom Line:
-In the U.S. your ability to work/sustain a job is strongly linked to your ability to pay for medical care and avoid personal bankruptcy
-Having private or public health insurance does NOT save you from bankruptcy
-Cancer is a recognized risk factor for personal bankruptcy in the U.S.
-You are ONE serious medical illness (ie. cancer) away from personal bankruptcy living in the US, a concept that other countries look at as inconceivable!!!
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