ObamaCare and Bankruptcy

[finnbow]

Originally Posted by whell

Correlation without causation. There was NOTHING in 2010, 2011, 2012, or 2013 that was going in with the ACA that would have been a driver for the reduction of bankruptcies. On the other hand, there was a modest economic recovery underway, which was far more likely to account for improving personal finances.

Nice try, though.

Medical expenses are the biggest cause of personal bankruptcies in the US. Despite that fact, you believe that a program that helped provide ~20 million people with health insurance had no impact on personal bankruptcies? You Trumpsters are immune to fact and reason.

[whell]

Originally Posted by finnbow

Medical expenses are the biggest cause of personal bankruptcies in the US. Despite that fact, you believe that a program that helped provide ~20 million people with health insurance had no impact on personal bankruptcies? You Trumpsters are immune to fact and reason.

Yes. Its not that hard Finn. The shared responsibility provisions, the state's elective expansion of Medicaid, and eligibility for subsidized premiums via state and federal health insurance exchanges, didn't occur until 2014. As the graphic clearly shows, bankruptcy numbers were already declining by then. So, while there may be some correlation, the most likely causation is not limited to Obamacare.

So, what did happen around that time that likely had more of an impact? Doesn't take a genius to figure out. The "official" end of the recession was declared in 2009, and employment is lagging indicator of economic recovery. That would make 2011 the first likely year that a noticeable decline in bankruptcies would be recorded.