But, as it turns out, an estimated three-quarters of people who are pushed into personal bankruptcy by medical problems actually had insurance when they got sick or were injured."

Therefore, "as Washington tries to cover the tens of millions of Americans without medical insurance, many health policy experts say simply giving everyone an insurance card will not be enough to fix what is wrong with the system," because "too many other people already have coverage so meager that a medical crisis means financial calamity."

While lawmakers are grappling with the cost of comprehensive coverage, "patient advocates argue it is crucial for the final legislation to guarantee a base level of coverage," if consumers "are to be protected from financial ruin. They also call for a new layer of federal rules to correct the current state-by-state regulatory patchwork that allows some insurance companies to sell relatively worthless policies."