Misdiagnosed (A medical-bankruptcy study doesn’t live up to its billing)

NRO ^ | February 11, 2005 | Gail Heriot

[paudio]

Half of Bankruptcy Due to Medical Bills — US Study." At least so said the Reuters headline in last week's story. And similar stories in newspapers across the country agree. Soon it will be repeated as gospel on Capitol Hill and by the chattering classes everywhere. Understandably, middle-class Americans have started to feel a little queasy about their health and about the adequacy of their health insurance.

The fundamental problem is that it isn't true. Despite what the authors have encouraged us to believe, the Harvard study, entitled "Illness and Injuries As Contributors to Bankruptcy," isn't really about medical bills, crushing or otherwise. It's about bankruptcies that can — at least if you're willing to stretch things a bit — be classified as medically related. It finds that 54.5 percent of all bankruptcies have "a medical cause." But "medical cause" is used as a term of art here. In fact, the study does not claim that injury or illness was the primary cause of those bankruptcies. And, perhaps more importantly, it does not claim that the bankruptcies were caused by the crush of medical bills.

[YOUGOTIT]

Harvard has become a base for left wing anti-Americans. It is no surprise that they skew a poll to further their agenda.

[The Electrician]

Wow, if you can believe the author (and I do), then the reporting on this study is a clear case of journalistic malpractice, and the study itself is a case of academic malpractice. I guess that increasingly, "look for the Harvard label" on a study means that you can not trust it.

[Congressman Billybob]

I saw one of the TV appearances of this Dr. who plays games with her data. I know enough about law and bankruptcy to think that her conclusion (half of bankruptcies due to medical expenses) was false. But I did not have access to the study itself to see where the holes are.

What is the e-mail address of the academic superior of this woman? Falsified research IS grounds to fire someone, even from Harvard. It won't happen, of course. But Harvard should get used to the idea that the blogosphere is looking over their shoulder -- the left shoulder, of course.

Congressman Billybob

Click for latest, "Was Howard Dean behind a Daring Art Theft?"

[Congressman Billybob]

I saw one of the TV appearances of this Dr. who plays games with her data. I know enough about law and bankruptcy to think that her conclusion (half of bankruptcies due to medical expenses) was false. But I did not have access to the study itself to see where the holes are.

What is the e-mail address of the academic superior of this woman? Falsified research IS grounds to fire someone, even from Harvard. It won't happen, of course. But Harvard should get used to the idea that the blogosphere is looking over their shoulder -- the left shoulder, of course.

Congressman Billybob

Click for latest, "Was Howard Dean behind a Daring Art Theft?"

[hinckley buzzard]

"least one of the authors — Dr. Steffie Woolhandler, a Cambridge Hospital internist and associate professor of medicine at Harvard, makes it clear that she does indeed have an agenda "

I have seen this idiot woman interviewed on a talk show or two. She is a poorly informed but adamant socialist who never yet let the truth get in her way.

[marktwain]

steffie_wollhandler@hms.harvard.edu

You are welcome.

[marktwain]

steffie_woolhandler@hms.harvard.edu

Oops... substituted an l for the extra o in wool. Thick fingered mistake. This is the correct address, I believe.

[Congressman Billybob]

Thank you for the e-mail addy. I sent the following letter to the "good" doctor:

Dear Dr. Woolhandler,

I understand you supervised the Harvard Medical School which was announced as demonstrating that "half of all bankruptcies" were caused by "unpaid medical bills." But I further understand that this result was reached by including such matters as "compulsive gambling" as a "medical cost." I further understand that only a quarter of the families in the study had more than $1,000 in unreimbursed medical expenses in the two years prior to the study.

I refer your attention to the article, "Misdaignosed ..." in the National Review Online, on 11 February, 2005. It provides chapter and verse of multiple fatal errors in your study.

If the Harvard study is this inaccurate, and the data are distorted in these ways, it raises the questions of whether Harvard should issue a correction for this study, an apology for its falsities, and appropriate discipline for its authors.

I would appreciate a response to this e-mail. Rest assured that the experts in the blogosphere will continue to follow this subject to see how the sense of academic integrity is faring in Harvard Yard. And mind you, I am not picking on Harvard. I have equal doubts about the academic integrity of my own alma mater, Yale.

Sincerely,

John / Billybob

[marktwain]

I would appreciate a response to this e-mail.

I would have sugar coated it a little more, myself. Perhaps given her a chance to disprove what the article said, or distance herself from the way the study has been promoted.

But.. Good work, It will be interesting to see what the response will be, if any. Liberals work very hard at weaseling out of their actions.

[ReadyNow]

Dr. Woolhandler's quackery about medical costs includes plenty of emphasis on the "administrative" components of those costs. If only the administrative components were brought under control, all would be on the road to perfection, according to the good ducktor.

[marktwain]

If only the administrative components were brought under control, all would be on the road to perfection, according to the good ducktor.

So, her medical degree make her an accomplished manager and economist! Wow...what is she doing publishing articles on medicine?... Ohhh... she's not..

Sarcasm off.