Bankruptcy Law, Debt Relief, Timothy Kingcade Posts

Cancer Patients Twice As Likely to File for Bankruptcy

A recent study reveals the devastating financial toll a cancer diagnosis can bring.  Even for those with health insurance, the consequences can be financially devastating. The ongoing treatments can quickly deplete savings accounts and rack up credit card debt, eventually making it difficult to cover basic living expenses.

Cancer has always been an expensive diagnosis to treat, but recently several factors have made the costs more intense, prompting more patients to cut back on their medications, even delay treatment. Insurance companies are tightening prescription drug coverage and raising deductible costs.  This means for some, paying thousands of dollars a year for a drug like the leukemia treatment Gleevec, which is a pill that is taken daily, sometimes for the rest of a person’s life.

The Affordable Care Act sets limits as to how much people can spend on healthcare each year.  Cancer treatments often extend beyond a year and coverage does not always apply to the increasingly narrow network of doctors and hospitals that are considered ‘in-network.’

Duke Cancer Institute oncologist, Dr. Yousuf Zafar, who also studies financial distress among cancer patients, surveyed 300 adult, insured patients at the cancer institute.  Nearly 40 percent reported a higher-than-expected financial burden, while 16 percent dealt with what he called ‘overwhelming financial distress.’

More than a quarter of that patient population said they did not take their medicines as prescribed, skipped doses and took smaller amounts than prescribed to save on costs.  Some did not even get their prescriptions filled.

Additional research found that cancer patients are more than twice as likely as those without the diagnosis to file for bankruptcy.

Click here to read more on this story.

Those who have experienced illness or injury and found themselves overwhelmed with medical debt should contact an experienced Miami bankruptcy attorney. In bankruptcy, medical bills are considered general unsecured debts just like credit cards. This means that medical bills do not receive priority treatment and can easily be discharged in bankruptcy. Bankruptcy laws were created to help people resolve overwhelming debt and gain a fresh financial start. Bankruptcy attorney Timothy Kingcade knows how to help clients take full advantage of the bankruptcy laws to protect their assets and get successful results. Since 1996 Kingcade Garcia McMaken, P.A. has been helping people from all walks of life build a better tomorrow. Our attorneys’ help thousands of people every year take advantage of their rights under bankruptcy protection to restart, rebuild and recover. The day you hire our firm, we will contact your creditors to stop the harassment. You can also find useful consumer information on the Kingcade & Garcia website at www.miamibankruptcy.com.

Bankruptcy Law, Timothy Kingcade Posts

Study Finds People Diagnosed with Cancer More Likely to Declare Bankruptcy

According to a recent study from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, people diagnosed with cancer are more than two-and-a-half times more likely to declare bankruptcy than those without cancer. Researchers also found that younger cancer patients had two- to five-fold higher bankruptcy rates compared to older patients, and that overall bankruptcy filings increased as time passed following diagnosis.

“This study found strong evidence of a link between cancer diagnosis and increased risk of bankruptcy,” the authors of the study wrote. “Although the risk of bankruptcy for cancer patients is relatively low in absolute terms, bankruptcy represents an extreme manifestation of what is probably a larger picture of economic hardship for cancer patients.” Medical debt is one of the main causes of filing for bankruptcy. In fact, it’s a contributing factor in more than half of all bankruptcy filings. This study raises important questions about the factors underlying the relationship between cancer and financial hardship.

Click here to read more about the study that links cancer diagnosis to an increased risk of filing for bankruptcy.

If you are in a financial crisis and are considering filing bankruptcy, contact an experienced Miami bankruptcy attorney who can advise you of all of your options. As an experienced CPA as well as a proven bankruptcy lawyer, Timothy Kingcade knows how to help clients take full advantage of the bankruptcy laws to protect their assets and get successful results. Since 1996 Kingcade & Garcia, P.A. has been helping people from all walks of life build a better tomorrow. Our attorneys’ help thousands of people every year take advantage of their rights under bankruptcy protection to restart, rebuild and recover. The day you hire our firm, we will contact your creditors to stop the harassment. You can also find useful consumer information on the Kingcade & Garcia website at www.miamibankruptcy.com.