Uncompensated care reaches $1.2 billion for Virginia hospitals in 2013

The combined cost of caring for uninsured patients and increasing debt caused Virginia hospitals to hit $1.2 billion in uncompensated care costs in 2013.

Here are four things to know about the rise in uncompensated care costs, according to a study from Richmond-based Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine.

1. Uncompensated care costs increased from 6 percent of Virginia hospital costs in 2008 to 6.9 percent in 2013.

2. Approximately 50 percent of all hospital uncompensated care costs in Virginia are incurred by 10 hospitals, or 10 percent of all acute care hospitals in the state.

3. Virginia is one of about 20 states that has not expanded Medicaid coverage under the Affordable Care Act. Researchers found that expanding Medicaid would help 268,000 people gain coverage by 2016 and cut uncompensated care costs by $284 million annually.

4. More information on the study can be found here.

Copyright © 2024 Becker's Healthcare. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy. Cookie Policy. Linking and Reprinting Policy.

 

Featured Whitepapers

Featured Webinars