More evidence that the most powerful nation on the planet has a completely dysfunctional health system. And another illustration of how second rate health care is hurting the US economy. It makes a mockery of its excellent doctors and medical technology.

First we have reports that bankruptcy filings in the United States have risen to 6000 a day. According to these reports, there will be a jaw-dropping 1.5 million bankruptcies in the US this year. Commercial filings hit 376 a day, up from 255 in May 2008.

It coincides with further reports that medical bills, combined with related problems such as lost wages for the ill and their caregivers, contributed to 62% of all bankruptcies filed in 2007. And health insurance turned out to be useless. As writer Candace Talmadge notes, health insurance and bankruptcies are partners in fiscal crime that destroying the US economy.