Wisconsin hospitals are handling more charity cases and that could impact those patients who are able to pay
According to a recent analysis by the Wisconsin Hospital Association, not-for-profit hospitals provided two hundred and two-million dollars in charity care this past year. A twenty-seven percent increase over the previous year.
WHA's Brian Potter says shows the number of uninsured and underinsured is going up but it also shows hospitals take care of sick people regardless of their ability to pay.
Potter says it also means hospitals will have to make it up somewhere else. They can negotiate payments from commercial insurance companies, cut costs and possibly services or settle for a reduced bottom line.
And if insurance companies end up paying more, it's likely people with insurance will see it in their premiums.
Potter says getting more people covered is the political thing to do these days but no one is talking about programs that can keep people healthy so they won't have to go to hospitals.
AUDIO: Jim Dick reports ( :55 MP3 )
