Medical Bills are the #1 Cause of Bankruptcy, CNN Reports

A recent study from Nerdwallet found that medical bills were the #1 cause of personal bankruptcy in 2013, affecting more people than credit card debt, unpaid mortgages, or poor spending habits. That year, 1.7 million Americans were affected by bankruptcy filings due to the inability to pay their medical bills.

But the issue doesn’t stop there. 56 million Americans (more than 20% of the population between 19 and 64) reported struggling to pay their healthcare bills in 2013. And it doesn’t just affect the uninsured – 10 million adults who have year-round health insurance coverage still accumulated medical bills that they couldn’t pay.

At First Coast Cardiovascular Institute, we believe that it’s up to healthcare providers to bring high-quality care to patients at an affordable cost. Our President, Dr. Khatib, emphasizes that “High quality care doesn’t always have to equal high cost. The entire FCCI staff is aligned on one goal – making sure our patients are served in a knowledgeable, compassionate manner and every little need is met.” We add value to healthcare by:

• Choosing to remain independent of large hospital networks to keep out-of-pocket costs low for patients, while providing coverage to every patient at most hospitals in Northeast Florida, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
• Performing thousands of tests and procedures in an outpatient setting, instead of a hospital setting, for a fraction of the cost
• Being a one-stop shop for most cardiovascular services, saving patients time and additional fees

We’re tackling this issue by performing a full spectrum of outpatient cardiovascular services at half the cost or less over facilities that are owned or operated by a hospital. If you’d like to learn more or make an appointment  with one of our providers, call us at 904.493.3333.