The Fraser Institute: U.S. Medical Bankruptcies a Myth; Personal Bankruptcy Rate Higher in Canada

TORONTO, ONTARIO, Jul 07 (MARKET WIRE) --
The idea that large numbers of Americans are declaring bankruptcy due to
medical expenses is a myth and the introduction of government-run health
insurance in the U.S. will do nothing to reduce personal bankruptcies,
concludes a new study from the Fraser Institute, an independent think
tank.

The current debate about reforming U.S. health care policy has included
suggestions that nearly two-thirds of personal bankruptcies in the U.S.
result from uninsured medical expenses or loss of income due to illness.
Advocates of socialized medicine argue that this would not occur if the
U.S. adopted a government-run health system similar to Canada's.

But Brett Skinner, author of Health Insurance and Bankruptcy Rates in
Canada and the United States and Fraser Institute director of bio-pharma,
health and insurance policy research, says the evidence doesn't support
the bankruptcy claim.

"If socialized medicine played a role in reducing personal bankruptcies,
we would expect to see a lower rate of personal bankruptcy in Canada
compared to the United States. Yet the reverse is true. The personal
bankruptcy rate is actually higher in Canada than it is in the U.S.," he
said.

Skinner compared bankruptcy data in the U.S. and Canada from 2006 and
2007, and found that personal (non-business) bankruptcy filings as a
percentage of the population were 0.2 per cent in the U.S. during 2006
and 0.27 per cent in 2007. In Canada, the numbers are 0.3 per cent in
both 2006 and 2007.

"There is no evidence to support the idea that a government-run health
care system in the U.S. will reduce personal bankruptcies," Skinner said.

"Bankruptcy and lack of health insurance coverage are both caused by the
same thing: insufficient income, which is most often the result of
unemployment. The majority of debt among bankrupt consumers in both
America and Canada is composed of non-medical expenditures and therefore
has little to do with health insurance coverage."

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The Fraser Institute is an independent research and educational
organization with locations across North America and partnerships in more
than 70 countries. Its mission is to measure, study, and communicate the
impact of competitive markets and government intervention on the welfare
of individuals. To protect the Institute's independence, it does not
accept grants from governments or contracts for research. Visit
www.fraserinstitute.org.

Contacts:
The Fraser Institute
Brett Skinner
Director, Bio-Pharma, Health, and Insurance Policy Research
(416) 363-6575, ext. 224
brett.skinner@fraserinstitute.org

The Fraser Institute
Dean Pelkey
Director of Communications
(604) 714-4582
dean.pelkey@fraserinstitute.org
www.fraserinstitute.org

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