Massachusetts bankruptcies rose after reform

In 2006, Massachusetts became the first state to pass healthcare reform, and its law served as a model for the federal bill passed last year.

The reform law has not appeared to curb the number of medical bankruptcy filings in the state, according to study results published in the American Journal of Medicine. Cases increased from 7,504 in 2007 to 10,093 in 2009, although the share of personal bankruptcies in that state with a medical cause declined from 59.3% to 52.9%. In 2007, medical issues contributed to 62.1% of personal bankruptcies nationally, according to a 2009 study by the same group of researchers. That report found that 77.9% of those bankrupted were insured at the start of their illnesses.