Most Americans can't afford medical care.

Every year, millions of Americans find themselves below the poverty line, going into debt and loans because of the inability to pay medical bills, writes Huffington Post.

Фото: Depositphotos

54-year-old James DeWorld spent so much time on his two jobs in Tyson Foods and Walmartthat his wife Susan often joked that he worked "eight days a week."

But after the man started having problems with the nervous system, he was forced to leave the post of janitor, which he held for 20 years in a distribution center Tyson food in Pottsville, Arkansas. His work required freezer cleaning, and cold temperatures aggravated his illness.

DeVolid continues to work in Walmartwhere 10 earns dollars per hour by carrying 32 carts an hour a week. But giving up one job reduced his annual income from 40 000 to 20 000 dollars, and he had to give up health insurance benefits. Tyson Foods. He believed that in just a few weeks he would be able to apply for a new insurance in Walmart.

But before this happened, the man had a severe heart attack, he survived bypass surgery. Then there was a second operation to pump out the fluid surrounding the heart.

It took him six weeks to recover from what had happened, he took time off for this period, receiving only half of his salary. The family quickly spent all their savings in the amount of 5 000 dollars and took 8 more 000 dollars in debt, but they still paid far from all medical bills. DeVolid has no idea where he will find the money to cover the rest of the costs.

And the situation of DeVolida is not unique.

According to a recent report Bankrate, of a website that provides financial advice, most Americans cannot afford to pay for even a minor emergency. Total 39% of respondents said they would be able to cover an unexpected bill of a thousand dollars using their savings. Most respondents said that in order to cover these costs, they would have to borrow money from friends and acquaintances or withdraw these funds from a credit card.

Medical expense bills are particularly daunting. In 2016, medical expenses were the largest reason for the increase in the number of people living in poverty, according to a report by the US Census Bureau. Then 10,5 million people were below the poverty line due to medical bills.

In fact, Americans can afford much less than the report suggests. Bankrate. According to a Federal Reserve report released in 2017, 44% of adult Americans cannot afford unforeseen expenses in the amount of 400 dollars. To cover them, they either borrowed money, or sold something to pay the bill. However, this figure is decreasing. In 2013, the proportion of such people was 50%.

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