PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Massachusetts reform hasn't stopped medical bankruptcies: Harvard study

Skimpy health insurance policies are likely culprit in continuing problem; findings indicate national reform law won't stop bankruptcies

2011-03-08
(Press-News.org) The percentage of personal bankruptcies linked to medical bills or illness changed little, and the absolute number actually increased in Massachusetts after the implementation of its landmark 2006 law requiring people to buy health insurance, a Harvard study says.

The new study, which appears in today's American Journal of Medicine, found that between early 2007 and mid-2009, the share of all Massachusetts bankruptcies with a medical cause went from 59.3 percent to 52.9 percent, a non-significant decrease of 6.4 percentage points. Because there was a sharp rise in total bankruptcies during that period, the actual number of medical bankruptcy filings in the state rose from 7,504 in 2007 to 10,093 in 2009.

The findings have national implications because the Obama administration's health law is largely patterned after the Massachusetts plan, including its individual mandate. One of the administration's arguments in support of the new federal law was that it would significantly reduce medical bankruptcies nationwide. The findings in Massachusetts cast doubt on that claim.

Moreover, the president's recent proposal to let states opt out of the national health reform threatens to further weaken the inadequate standards for coverage that were included in the 2010 reform law. The result may well be the growth of skimpier plans nationwide, leading to even higher rates of medical bankruptcy than in Massachusetts.

To explain why medical bankruptcies persist in Massachusetts, the authors of the new study write: "Health costs in the state have risen sharply since reform was enacted. Even before the changes in health care laws, most medical bankruptcies in Massachusetts – as in other states – afflicted middle-class families with health insurance. High premium costs and gaps in coverage – co-payments, deductibles and uncovered services – often left insured families liable for substantial out-of-pocket costs. None of that changed. For example, under Massachusetts' reform, the least expensive individual coverage available to a 56-year-old Bostonian carries a premium of $5,616, a deductible of $2,000, and covers only 80 percent of the next $15,000 in costs for covered services."

The study's lead author, Dr. David Himmelstein, said, "Massachusetts' health reform, like the national law modeled after it, takes many of the uninsured and makes them underinsured, typically giving them a skimpy, defective private policy that's like an umbrella that melts in the rain: the protection's not there when you need it."

In the case of Massachusetts, "while we can't completely rule out the possibility that the reform reduced medical bankruptcies, any reduction is certainly small," he said. Himmelstein conducted the study as associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School; he currently is professor of public health at City University of New York.

In 2007, the last year for which national estimates are available, medical issues contributed to 62.1 percent of bankruptcies nationally, according to a 2009 study by the same group of researchers. That study, which was frequently cited by the president and congressional reform advocates, also found that 77.9 percent of those bankrupted were insured at the start of their illness, including 60.3 percent who had private coverage.

The authors note that Massachusetts has historically had fewer medical bankruptcies than the rest of the nation, presumably reflecting, among other things, the state's more robust social safety net, including public hospitals and a system of free medical care for the poor that predated the recent reform. Massachusetts' 51 percent increase in total bankruptcies between 2007 and 2009 was slower than the increase in the majority of other federal jurisdictions.

The state's health law was passed in 2006 and was fully implemented by early 2008. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the share of state residents who were uninsured fell by 58 percent between 2006 and 2009, from 10.4 percent to 4.4 percent, and remains the lowest rate of any state.

Because bankruptcies lag many months behind a financial shock, the early 2007 and mid-2009 surveys provide a good "before and after" look at the effects of the health reform, the researchers said.

Study co-author Dr. Steffie Woolhandler, a professor of public health at City University of New York who was professor of medicine at Harvard when the research was conducted, said, "American families need the kind of comprehensive coverage that protects people in nations with single-payer national health insurance, such as Canada." Although recent data are lacking, an older study found few medical bankruptcies in Canada, she said.

###

"Medical bankruptcy in Massachusetts: Has health reform made a difference?" David U. Himmelstein, M.D., Deborah Thorne, Ph.D., and Steffie Woolhandler, M.D., M.P.H. Deborah Thorne is associate professor of sociology at Ohio University. American Journal of Medicine, March 2011 (print edition). Access to the article is available for reporters upon request.

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

The sorry state of health of US medicine

2011-03-08
New York, NY, March 8, 2011 – As the debate about healthcare in the United States rages, four insightful articles in the March 2011 issue of The American Journal of Medicine strive to add reasoned arguments and empirical research findings to the dialog. The issue leads off with the editorial, "The 800-Pound Gorilla in the Healthcare Living Room," by Journal Editor-in-Chief Dr. Joseph Alpert, Professor of Medicine, Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson. As a practicing physician and medical educator, Dr. Alpert has first-hand experience with the current environment of medical ...

Xpress Money Conducts Uterus Cancer Awareness Camp in Bhaktapur Cancer Hospital

2011-03-08
Xpress Money, the leading global instant money transfer brand, in association with Pokhareli Sisters Group in Nepal and Nepal Cancer Prevention Society, organised a health camp, which offered free Uterus Cancer Test (PAP Smear Test) for the Nepali community on Saturday, 5th March, 2011 in Bhaktapur Cancer Hospital, Kathmandu. Xpress Money Foundation, the CSR arm of Xpress Money, took up this cause for the underprivileged women, in line with the brand's vision to create health awareness for the benefit of various communities, for whom it provides value-laden service through ...

Blue Coat Introduces Cloud Service and Web Security Module to Provide Global Comprehensive Web Protection

2011-03-08
Blue Coat Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: BCSI), a leading provider of Web security and WAN optimization solutions, today introduced the Blue Coat Cloud Service, a scalable Internet-delivered service that leverages proven Blue Coat technology and the company's collaborative WebPulse community of more than 70 million users. The first subscription module for the Blue Coat Cloud Service, the Web Security Module, brings Blue Coat enterprise-class technology to a broader group of organizations and provides comprehensive, real-time Web protection that can be managed and deployed from ...

LightMan Writer: A Simple Tool for Complex CD & DVD Burning

2011-03-08
LightMan Writer is a very practical and solid CD & DVD burning application designed for all categories of users. In addition to easing the data recording process, LightMan Writer includes special options and features to boost the overall performance of the writing engine. This is a highly capable solution to saving all your data and safely storing it on physical medium. Part of the program's equipment is also a communicative interface redefining the term user-friendly. Transfer now in a fast and secure way all your collections of data, whether they include movies, ...

Mint Social Named One Of The Top Social Media Marketing Companies

2011-03-08
For the seventh consecutive month, Scottsdale based company, Mint Social is named one of the best social media marketing companies in the U.S., according to a study conducted by TopSEOs.com. TopSEOs.com, an independent authority on search vendors, identifies and ranks the best internet marketing agencies and tools using various rigorous evaluation processes. The criteria for determining the top social media marketing company assesses a business based on five key factors important to social media optimization: trend awareness, brand management, consultation, methodology, ...

World's Smartest Horse Gets Cable! Lukas on Time Warner Television - PlayingWithLukas.com

2011-03-08
An interview with Karen Murdock, Lukas' owner/trainer, traces his past and offers insights into their purpose. 1. How old is Lukas and how long have you had him? Lukas is seventeen now; I bought him nine years ago. 2. What is his background and how did you find him? I found Lukas advertised in a sale ad described as an inexperienced project horse. He'd been found starving and neglected in a yard - the woman I bought him from had tried to make him into a jumper but he wasn't fitting in. His breed is a Thoroughbred and he raced in three races as a two-year-old, hurt ...

DIG Coaching Practice presents Attention Talk Radio on the topic ADHD and Addiction with host Jeff Copper, attention coach, and Wendy Richardson, family therapist and certified addiction specialist.

2011-03-08
DIG Coaching Practice presents "ADHD and Addiction" on Attention Talk Radio with host Jeff Copper and special guest Wendy Richardson, certified addiction specialist. Wendy Richardson knows a thing or two about ADHD and addiction, and in this episode, Jeff talks with Wendy to gain her insight on the link between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and addictive behaviors. Wendy Richardson, M.A., M.F.T., C.A.S., is a licensed marriage, family therapist, and certified addiction specialist in private practice in Soquel, California. Wendy is the author of The Link Between ...

Jump It Party and Play Brings Birthday Party Ideas to Lafayette Indiana

2011-03-08
Jump It Party and Play, a new business that brings refreshing birthday party ideas to Lafayette, IN, will officially open for business on Friday, March 11, 2011. The new business is located in the International Mall at 3861 St Rd 26 East in Lafayette. Jump It Party and Play features numerous inflatable jumps that cater to children ages 2-12. Jump It Party and Play is locally co-owned by Kathi Bennett. According to Bennett, "We are different from other childrens party centers in that we allow customers to pay one fee and play all day. Another thing we take very seriously ...

Budo Videos Offers Affiliate Program on Martial Arts Videos and Supplies

2011-03-08
Budo Videos, the large online retailer of Martial Arts videos, apparel, equipment and much more, recently unveiled the Budo Videos Martial Arts affiliate program that offers online business owners big earnings for sales of such products as: • Martial Arts and MMA Videos • Martial Arts Gis and Clothing • Equipment and pads • And much more Affiliates who are interested in the Budo Videos Martial arts affiliate program have the opportunity to earn 10% commission on every product sold. In addition, affiliates will receive the same commission on sales from each of Budo ...

The Big Ommmmmm: How Music can help Tune your Heartstrings this Valentine's Day

2011-03-08
The world-renowned Musical Alchemist, Philippo Franchini, is a veteran musician and a pioneer of sound healing in the West. Just in time for Valentine's Day, he explains how and why music can put us "in the mood." • Which musical tones, intervals, and tempos make us more attractive because of their harmonious effects on our nervous system? • The love vibration- What is it and how can we use music to put ourselves in it? • Beyond the sentimental- What is it about love songs that makes our hearts cry or soar? • How can we enhance the harmony between lovers with music ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe makes history with closest pass to Sun

Are we ready for the ethical challenges of AI and robots?

Nanotechnology: Light enables an "impossibile" molecular fit

Estimated vaccine effectiveness for pediatric patients with severe influenza

Changes to the US preventive services task force screening guidelines and incidence of breast cancer

Urgent action needed to protect the Parma wallaby

Societal inequality linked to reduced brain health in aging and dementia

Singles differ in personality traits and life satisfaction compared to partnered people

President Biden signs bipartisan HEARTS Act into law

Advanced DNA storage: Cheng Zhang and Long Qian’s team introduce epi-bit method in Nature

New hope for male infertility: PKU researchers discover key mechanism in Klinefelter syndrome

Room-temperature non-volatile optical manipulation of polar order in a charge density wave

Coupled decline in ocean pH and carbonate saturation during the Palaeocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum

Unlocking the Future of Superconductors in non-van-der Waals 2D Polymers

Starlight to sight: Breakthrough in short-wave infrared detection

Land use changes and China’s carbon sequestration potential

PKU scientists reveals phenological divergence between plants and animals under climate change

Aerobic exercise and weight loss in adults

Persistent short sleep duration from pregnancy to 2 to 7 years after delivery and metabolic health

Kidney function decline after COVID-19 infection

Investigation uncovers poor quality of dental coverage under Medicare Advantage

Cooking sulfur-containing vegetables can promote the formation of trans-fatty acids

How do monkeys recognize snakes so fast?

Revolutionizing stent surgery for cardiovascular diseases with laser patterning technology

Fish-friendly dentistry: New method makes oral research non-lethal

Call for papers: 14th Asia-Pacific Conference on Transportation and the Environment (APTE 2025)

A novel disturbance rejection optimal guidance method for enhancing precision landing performance of reusable rockets

New scan method unveils lung function secrets

Searching for hidden medieval stories from the island of the Sagas

Breakthrough study reveals bumetanide treatment restores early social communication in fragile X syndrome mouse model

[Press-News.org] Massachusetts reform hasn't stopped medical bankruptcies: Harvard study
Skimpy health insurance policies are likely culprit in continuing problem; findings indicate national reform law won't stop bankruptcies