Hospital provision of uncompensated care and public program enrollment.
Hospital provision of uncompensated care is partly a function of insurance coverage of state populations. As states expand insurance coverage options and reduce the number of uninsured, hospital provision of uncompensated care should also decrease. Controlling for hospital characteristics and market factors, the authors estimate that increases in MinnesotaCare (a state-subsidized health insurance program for the working poor) enrollment resulted in a 5-year cumulative savings of $58.6 million in hospital uncompensated care costs. Efforts to evaluate access expansions should take into account the costs of the program and the savings associated with reductions in hospital uncompensated care.
Blewett
Lynn A
LA
University of Minnesota, USA.
Davidson
Gestur
G
Brown
Margaret E
ME
Maude-Griffin
Roland
R
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D018166:Health Care Reform / Q000191:economics; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000191:economics; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000639:trends*; D006302:Health Services Research; D017721:Hospital Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends; D006761:Hospitals / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008483:Medical Assistance / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends; D008910:Minnesota; D015397:Program Evaluation; D013221:State Health Plans / Q000191:economics*; D017664:Uncompensated Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends; D014481:United States