Not if the middle class family is carrying catastrophic major medical insurance along with their HSA, which should be mandatory.  But if they choose not to because they don't have much to lose in a bankruptcy, that's a viable option.  If you keep your financial nose clean for the next two years, you can still get a mortgage to buy a house.  Bankruptcy is not the end of the world.  It's a chance to start over with a clean slate, and you can usually keep your home if you own one and don't have too much equity.  

The mortgage industry is more forgiving of a bankruptcy than a foreclosure.  If you opted for foreclosure instead of bankruptcy, it tells the lenders that you could have paid, but didn't want to.  It's a 7 year wait after foreclosure because you're considered a "moral hazard."  If your moral compass allowed you to do it once, it's more likely to allow you to do it again.