The AHA’s report contains data from nearly 5,000 hospitals in the United States. The uncompensated care figures represent the estimated cost of bad debt and charity care to the hospital, and the figures do not include Medicare or Medicaid underpayment costs.
The $39.3 billion in uncompensated care in 2010 represented 5.8 percent of total hospital expenses. In the past 30 years, the year in which uncompensated care represented the largest portion of total hospital expenses was 1986, when it totaled 6.4 percent.
Related Articles on Uncompensated Care:
Charity Care at Florida’s Bay Medical Center to Stay the Same if Lease Passes
How Hospitals Can Drastically Cut Down Uncompensated Care
Two New Hampshire Hospitals Change Eligibility Guidelines for Charity Care in Face of Medicaid Cuts
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