This paper, finalized in 2013, is the penultimate version of a chapter in Working and Living in the Shadow of Economic Fragility (Marion G. Crain & Michael Sherraden eds. 2014) and is relevant to claims made in current debates about health care finance. Following up on our article Managing...

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 aims to expand coverage for the uninsured and regulate out-of-pocket expenses to some extent. Yet, this new law does not change the assumption that patients often will owe some money directly to medical providers. Health care practice...