title: Who pays for agricultural injury care?
abstract: Analysis of 295 agricultural injury hospitalizations in a single state's hospital discharge database found that workers' compensation covered only 5% of the inpatient stays. Other sources were commercial health insurance (47%), Medicare (31%), and Medicaid (7%); 9% were uninsured. Estimated mean hospital and physician payments (not costs or charges) were $12,056 per hospitalization. Nearly one sixth (16%) of hospitalizations were either unreimbursed or covered by Medicaid, indicating a substantial cost-shift to public funding sources. Problems in characterizing agricultural injuries and states' exceptions to workers' compensation coverage mandates point to the need for comprehensive health coverage.
authors.affiliation: Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center, Department of Health Services Management, University of Kentucky College of Public Health, Lexington, Kentucky, USA.
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Costich
mesh_terms: D000383:Agriculture; D017048:Health Care Costs; D005102:Health Expenditures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients; D019458:Insurance Coverage / Q000191:economics*; D007350:Insurance, Hospitalization / Q000191:economics; D008484:Medicaid / Q000191:economics; D017057:Medically Uninsured; D006278:Medicare / Q000191:economics; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000191:economics*; D017149:Private Sector; D014481:United States; D014942:Workers' Compensation / Q000191:economics*; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000191:economics*