SSHRC IDG funded 2017: Although bankruptcy should not be a side effect of sickness, many Canadians are pushed over this financial precipice by an illness or injury. In the United States, uncovered medical expenses wreak havoc on the finances of the ill and injured, whereas in Canada, the income lost while convalescing leaves many individuals struggling to make ends meet. Public programs, such as the federal employment insurance sickness benefit and provincial workers' compensation programs, are intended to insulate ill and injured Canadians from financial distress by providing them with replacement income. The frequency with which medical events trigger bankruptcy suggests that these programs are not fulfilling this goal; this project seeks to understand why.
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