The 7.05 percent increase in uncompensated hospital care, including bad debt and charity care, was partly due to patients having higher deductible health insurance plans. Many hospitals in the region reported seeing a rise in patients whose deductibles are $5,000 or more.
The high-deductible plans require patients to make significant contributions before their health insurance kicks in, leading Hospital Council of Western Pennsylvania Vice President and CFO Denis Lukes to call into question just how collectable the deductibles are and how accessible the care really is for patients, according to the report.
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