Financial Fragility, Medical Problems, and the Bankruptcy System

Jacoby, Melissa B.; Holman, Mirya R.

doi:10.2139/ssrn.3012227

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Financial Fragility, Medical Problems, and the Bankruptcy System

UNC Legal Studies Research Paper

26 Pages Posted: 2 Aug 2017

See all articles by Melissa B. Jacoby

Melissa B. Jacoby

University of North Carolina School of Law

Mirya R. Holman

Tulane University - Department of Political Science

Date Written: 2013

Abstract

This paper, finalized in 2013, is the penultimate version of a chapter in Working and Living in the Shadow of Economic Fragility (Marion G. Crain & Michael Sherraden eds. 2014) and is relevant to claims made in current debates about health care finance.

Following up on our article Managing Medical Bills on the Brink of Bankruptcy, the paper synthesizes disparate research connecting medical problems and bankruptcy filings.

The paper also presents new findings on the coping mechanisms used by financially distressed households before bankruptcy – including medical provider payment plans, pawn shops and payday loans, and informal arrangements with friends and family.

Keywords: Bankruptcy, Health Care, Fringe Banking, Payday Lending, Medical Care, Payment Plans

JEL Classification: I11, I13, I18, I31

Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation

Jacoby, Melissa B. and Holman, Mirya R., Financial Fragility, Medical Problems, and the Bankruptcy System (2013). UNC Legal Studies Research Paper, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3012227 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3012227