# Please explain US Healthcare to me **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [December 19, 2006, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-us-healthcare-to-me/384775 "2006-12-19T14:04:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Renob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8c91f0/32.png) [@Renob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renob)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2006, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-us-healthcare-to-me/384775/101 "2006-12-29T17:26:12Z")
The study was interesting, **gonzo** , but even it said that only 28% of those who declared bankruptcy did so because of an illness or injury. The study seems a bit flawed, too. If you look at their findings, they seem focused solely on the medical aspects of bankruptcy. They don’t discuss any other reason for bankruptcy. It’s also unclear if they interviewed everyone in their sample or merely those who had some sort of medical bills that contributed to their bankruptcy. From this study and the other study, though, it seems only around a quarter of those who declare bankruptcy do so primarily because of medical debts. Sure, others declare bankruptcy and have medical debts, but those debts are part of an overall pattern of debt spending. It’s not necessarily medical costs that drive them into bankruptcy. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2006, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-us-healthcare-to-me/384775/102 "2006-12-29T18:09:12Z")
That would probably make it the leading single cause. ---
**Author:** ![Renob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8c91f0/32.png) [@Renob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renob)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2006, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-us-healthcare-to-me/384775/103 "2006-12-29T18:53:17Z")
No, according to the analysis I posted, debts related to credit cards are much more common. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2006, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-us-healthcare-to-me/384775/104 "2006-12-30T03:54:13Z")
[http://newstandardnews.net/content/?action=show\_item&itemid=1439http://www.forbes.com/lifestyle/health/feeds/hscout/2005/02/02/hscout523782.html](http://newstandardnews.net/content/?action=show_item&itemid=1439http://www.forbes.com/lifestyle/health/feeds/hscout/2005/02/02/hscout523782.html) here are two more. ---
**Author:** ![Seven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2006, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-us-healthcare-to-me/384775/105 "2006-12-30T23:36:06Z")
[QUOTE=Renob] No, according to the analysis I posted, debts related to credit cards are much more common. [/QUOTE] I didn’t look at those reports, and this might have been covered, but how about the people who put their medical ON the credit cards (as I’ve done). ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2006, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-us-healthcare-to-me/384775/106 "2006-12-31T05:03:37Z")
Wow asking for trouble. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [January 2, 2007, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-us-healthcare-to-me/384775/107 "2007-01-02T17:19:17Z")
[QUOTE=Fish] I work in medical billing. Here’s my take on things: … **Tricare, or Champus** is the insurance carrier for current and former members of the U.S. military. This is run by the U.S. government but is separate from Medicare. [/QUOTE] Nitpicks… CHAMPUS (Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Uniformed Services) no longer exists. It’s been completely replaced by TRICARE. Secondly, CHAMPUS, as befits its name, was never for active duty military. It was for eligible civilian family members of active duty military personnel, as well as for eligible military retirees and their eligible civilian family members. “Eligible family members” generally included spouses and dependent children under a certain age. Active duty members were simply treated by the military medical system (i.e. military physicians, etc.) This is still generally the case for TRICARE, except that, in some cases, active duty members and retirees, as well as their eligible dependents, can choose to be treated outside of the military medical system, using TRICARE as their insurance carrier. Finally, not all former military members are eligible for TRICARE. You have to be receiving full retirement benefits, usually by having served at least 20 years on active duty. I got out of the Navy after having served 10 years and am not eligible for any military heath care. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-us-healthcare-to-me/384775.md?page=5)