Uninsured ObamaCare Challenger Went Bankrupt

Mary Brown, who became the lead plaintiff in the National Federation of Independent Business' challenge of President Obama's health-care law because she didn't have insurance and didn't want to be forced to buy it, recently filed for bankruptcy … with $4,500 worth of unpaid medical bills. Obama administration lawyers were quick to point out that Brown's own situation is now a good illustration of the "uncompensated care that will ultimately be paid by others." Adds a health law expert, "This is so ironic. It just shows that all Americans inevitably have a need for health care. Somebody has paid for her health care costs."

Brown, 56, reached by the Los Angeles Times, was defiant, first arguing that the medical bills were her husband's, not hers. "I never said medical insurance is not a necessity," she added. "It should be anyone's right to what kind of health insurance they have." Lawyers representing her argue that the medical bills are insignificant, considering the fact that Brown and her husband owe $55,000 in non-medical bills as well, and attribute their client's financial difficulties to the failure of her business. "Anyone has unforeseen things that happen to them that are beyond their control," Brown says. "Who says I don't have insurance right now?" (More health care reform stories.)