'I live on the street now': how Americans fall into medical bankruptcy

cheryl

cheryl

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'I live on the street now': how Americans fall into medical bankruptcy - The Guardian

Having health insurance is often not enough to save Americans from massive debts when serious illness strikes

t’s been over a dozen years since Susanne LeClair of West Palm Beach, Florida was first diagnosed with cancer and she’s been fighting ever since. Now she, like many other Americans facing life-threatening illness, is bankrupt despite having health insurance.

Before her first cancer-related surgery, LeClair was told by the hospital they accepted her employer-based health insurance.

“I paid my $300 copay. After the surgery, I started receiving all these invoices and came to find out the only thing covered was my bed because the hospital was out of network,” said LeClair. “My bills were hundreds of thousands of dollars, so I had no choice but to file bankruptcy.”
 
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