Rising healthcare costs put strain on homeowners

Filed in archive education on June 4, 2009

Unemployment across the nation is at record highs. Foreclosures are, too. Of course, the two are related.

But unemployment isn't the only factor in the rise of mortgage delinquencies and housing foreclosures we're now seeing. Credit card debts are high, too, making it harder for families to pay their bills.

And then theree are all those medical bills.

The Los Angeles Times today ran a story citing a Harvard University study that shows that medical bills are playing a serious role in a greater number of bankruptcies.

According to the Harvard study, medical bills combined with the problem of lost wages played a contributing factor in 62 percent of all the bankruptcies filed in 2007. That's up significantly from 2001, when the same researchers determined that medical bills contributed to 55 percent of all U.S. bankruptcy filings.

And it's not just the uninsured that are suffering. The Harvard study found that 78 percent of all the bankruptcies caused in part by medical bills were filed by people who had health insurance.

Here's the problem: The cost of medical care continues to rise. At the same time, health-insurance companies are covering less of this cost. It's enough to push many families over the edge and into bankruptcy.

The Times story doesn't focus on it, but the health-care problem does relate to the country's rising foreclosure rate. Homeowners are already burdened with the very real fear of losing their jobs. And those who are still hanging onto their employment never know when their bosses are going to force them to take a week or two off of work, with no pay.

Add rising health-care costs to this mix, and it gets even harder to make those monthly mortgage payments.

Right now, the hope lies with Barack Obama and the federal government. Obama has made reforming the health-insurance industry a priority. The public is behind his efforts, it seems. He has enough Democratic votes to ram through whatever reform package he prefers.

But I live in Illinois. I see firsthad just how lousy government can be when it tries to solve problems. Remember, Illinois is the proud home of disgraced governors George Ryan and Rod Blagojevich, one who is sitting in prison now, the second of whom will soon be joining him.

It's never a good feeling to have to rely on the government, then, to fix anything. Money, lobbyists and political interests always get in the way.

The hope is that the government and the health-insurance industry can work together to provide real health-care reform. But I don't know ... I have the feeling we'll be seeing those big medical bills, and a lot of housing foreclosures, for the foreseeable future.