A Harvard study that was released last week found that nearly half of all Americans who file for bankruptcy do so because of medical expenses. That’s 2 million Americans in 700,000 households forced into bankruptcy by health care costs each year. Among those 2 million Americans, most were from the middle class, three-quarters had health insurance, and half of the households included at least one college graduate.

For even the well-off, a serious illness can lead to a downward spiral of high co-payments and deductibles, loss of job, loss of insurance, and ultimately, bankruptcy. That was the predicament that faced Deborah Heinrichs when, in June of 2000, her husband Christopher was diagnosed with terminal melanoma. Three years later, her family was forced to file for bankruptcy.

In this radio diary, Deborah Heinrichs recalls her descent from a middle class life to bankruptcy.

Guests:

Deborah Heinrichs lives in Kingwood, Texas, with her two sons, Joshua and Travis, age 17 and 14. Her husband, Christopher, passed away last April.