Is debt for medical bills different than other debt?

Unjust? If there is any doubt Americans view spending money on health care differently than any other spending, here’s the proof. Sen Sanders is Tweeting the case as well.

With the move to high deductible health insurance plans many workers could have a higher out-of-pocket costs. However, that out-of-pocket potential liability can be planned for.

“The system is rigged against them, for real,” Sesso said. “Medical debt is uniquely American and it’s a by-product of the broken financing of our healthcare system.” Unlike other types of consumer debt, medical bills are hard to predict and hard to prevent, even for people with health insurance.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/debgordon/2021/10/13/50-of-americans-now-carry-medical-debt-a-new-chronic-condition-for-millions/?sh=5b362d215e5d

Nothing is rigged. We need a better system true, but what we have is not rigged. Hard to predict? The incurrence of health care, yes, but for most people there is a known potential personal out-of-pocket cost and that amount can be part of the family budget – but it rarely is.

Medicare for All? Okay, but people on Medicare have out-of-pocket costs too, they pay Part A and B deductibles and coinsurance with no limit on out-of-pocket costs.

To limit these risks beneficiaries pay $200 or so a month extra for deductible and co-pay coverage. Many have thousands in prescription costs. Others look for more coverage at the expense of losing unlimited access to health care providers.

So why is Medicare for All the assumed solution for medical debt? It was never intended to cover 100% of bills. Any system that seems to make out-of-pocket costs disappear simply means they are now in taxes and premiums.

The fact is individuals do not see paying for health care as their obligation whether they have the money or not. Paying health care bills takes money that could be used for more pleasurable things. In that context all health care is unaffordable and always will be. The individual who “can’t afford” a $30.00 co-pay readily spends that amount elsewhere – and not on necessities.