Ohio University study: Most who file for medical-related bankruptcy have insurance

Researchers from Ohio University and Harvard University have found that 78 percent of people who cited medical debt as their primary reason for filing for bankruptcy in 2007 had insurance (Source: “Health fairs benefit needy,” Columbus Dispatch, June 6, 2009).

"We have this erroneous assumption that if we have health insurance we'll be OK and we'll be able to withstand whatever health problem comes our way," said Deborah Thorne, associate professor of sociology at Ohio University and a co-author of the study.

The average out-of-pocket health-care costs for those filing for bankruptcy as a result of medical debt was almost $18,000. The results of the study were published online (pdf, 2 pages) on the Web site of the American Journal of Medicine.