Federal Study Highlights Importance of Universal Health Insurance Coverage

A new report from the Department of Health and Human Services produces a result which most people would call common sense: uninsured Americans can’t afford health care.

The study finds that uninsured families leave unpaid hospital bills that total up to $73 billion a year. On average, uninsured families have the resources to pay only 12% of their hospital bills. Hospitals are forced to pass these uncompensated costs on to their insured patients in the form of higher prices just to stay in business.

This study highlights why President Obama’s universal health care bill is important even if you get good health insurance through your employer. Insured Americans are being forced to pay a $73 billion annual hidden tax on health care services because our country does not provide affordable insurance to all its citizens. Uninsured Americans are forced to abstain from cheap preventive care and disease management due to financial concerns, meaning the only care they receive is from the emergency room. In the end this drives the hidden tax even higher because preventative care is so much cheaper than drastic last minute surgeries and trips to the emergency room.

-- Committee on Education and Workforce