[clumsysmurf]

> Those things are obviously unfortunate, but relatively rare

Not rare at all, 1 in 5 Americans is being pursued by collection agencies for being unable to pay medical bills.

[icedchai]

That's good news. Since they're not paying their bills, they actually have more money to invest instead. ;)

You know what they say about lies and statistics... In all seriousness, even if this dubious statistic is true, most of those are not due to terminal or debilitating illnesses. "Unable to pay medical bills" can be for a variety of reasons, ranging from the obvious (not having the money), to confusion, to billing errors or insurance problems.

[ceejayoz]

In the US, it needn't be terminal nor debilitating to bankrupt you.

[ams6110]

Bankruptcy is not the end of the world. It's an inconvenience for a few years.

[lazyasciiart]

It's certainly the end of the "hey I have so much money I don't even need to work" feeling of financial independence, though.

[goodpass]

I can tell you’ve never been bankrupt.

[philsnow]

wow, do you have a citation for that ?