Medical debt is one of the leading causes of bankruptcy, according to a study published online today in the journal Health Affairs. There are plenty of anecdotes of people who have used up their savings, borrowed from friends or filed for bankruptcy following a serious illness like cancer. Now researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle have documented exactly how great the risk of bankruptcy is for cancer patients.

In the decades leading up to the civil war, white Americans uncomfortable with the rising numbers of free blacks came up with a plan. Get rid of them. Specifically, convince them to resettle in Liberia. It was America's original "self-deportation" scheme. But things didn't go exactly according to plan.

List of stories from KUOW Presents,  May 15:

Tourism is fast becoming the world’s largest global business, producing $6.5 trillion of the world’s economy. Elizabeth Becker is the author of "Overbooked: The Exploding Business of Travel and Tourism." In it she looks at how this business impacts countries, the environment and culture. Ross Reynolds chats with Elizabeth Becker.

The Obama administration is facing tough criticism these days over issues including Benghazi and and the Internal Revenue Service scandal.  What do you think? Is President Obama doing a good job?  Ross Reynolds takes the temperature here in the Puget Sound region. 

One of the most persistent stories about America — that it was made by immigrants fleeing "the old country" — is also one of the most incomplete. And since stories shape our perception of reality, poet Colleen McElroy is intent on telling another aspect of America's story in "Crossing Oceans."  The poem appears in her most recent collection "Here I Throw Down My Heart" (University of Pittsburgh Press, 2012).

The Seattle International Film Festival starts Thursday and will run through June 9 featuring over 400 films from more than 80 countries.

Seattle film critic David Chen can’t wait. Chen is the editor-at-large of Slash Film and co-hosts “The Tobolowsky Files,” a radio program featuring true stories of life, love, and Hollywood as told by actor Stephen Tobolowsky.

Canada, Culture And Commerce
Vancouver Sun political correspondent Vaughn Palmer brings us the latest news from Canada.  Film critic Robert Horton joins us with the films he's looking forward to seeing at this year's Seattle International Film Festival. Then, Jon Talton brings us the latest business news on Microsoft, Boeing and the Dow.

Now, the public knows about Angelina Jolie’s double mastectomy. She wrote in the New York Times that, thanks to genetic testing, she believed there was an 87 percent chance she’d get breast cancer, so she went for it.

Tuesday, Dr. Julie Gralow, director of breast medical oncology at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance spoke with KUOW's Sara Lerner.  Dr. Gralow says, “The majority of breast cancer in the United States is not gene-mutation cancer.”

The End Of The Seattle/Sacramento Kings Saga?
Months of speculation about the NBA’s return to Seattle could end today. League owners are in Dallas to vote on Chris Hansen’s deal to buy the Sacramento Kings and move the team to Seattle. Meanwhile, a rival group of NBA-backed Sacramento investors is waiting in the wings to keep the team in town. Seattle Times reporter Bob Condotta joins us from Dallas.

Seattle International Film Festival Opens
It’s mid-May, which means summer is around the corner. But before you frolic outdoors, you’ll probably head into a movie theater for the annual Seattle International Film Festival. Organizers bill it as the biggest film festival in North America. Get a sneak preview with the minds behind the madness.

The Cost Of Health Care
Last week the government released costs for 100 common procedures at hospitals around the country.  The numbers varied wildly between geographic regions, but also between hospitals in the same city. University of Washington professor Aaron Katz explains what that means for consumers.

The NBA’s Board of Governors meets in Dallas Wednesday to decide whether the Sacramento Kings move to Seattle. Until a few days ago, it seemed clear that the answer was no. In a key decision two weeks ago a committee of the NBA voted unanimously to keep the team in Sacramento.