A MALIGNANT SYSTEM. So far as the personal responsibility wars rage in health care, cancer is a usefully clarifying condition. Its causes are manifold and hard to pinpoint: Genetics, poor luck, environment, lifestyle, and a variety of other mechanisms play a large part. Few tend to see the disease as the direct result of poor choices (save smoking), which makes this Kaiser study on affected families all the more poignant. According to Kaiser's survey, a full quarter of households used up all their savings treating the patient. One in ten had to forego major expenses like food, heat, or housing in order to bear the burden. 13% ended up going into debt and being hounded by collection agencies, 3% declared bankruptcy. 8% of respondents said they delayed or went without treatment due to the expense. 11% were unable to health insurance because of their cancer and 6% lost insurance they already had. What's there even to say?
--Ezra Klein
