Hospitals Involved In War Of Words

Hospital advocacy groups are disputing a recent study which says that the uninsured pay the highest fees for services. The groups claim that regulations have been altered in the past few years to offer lower fees to uninsured patients. A recently released Johns Hopkins University research report found that patients who paid for their own care were charged 2.5 times more than enrollees of private insurance and three times more than Medicare patients. The study used data from 2004.

The NASE supports efforts to improve our health care system by making it easier for individuals to attain and understand health coverage. We also support legislation that would increase transparency because it is necessary for individuals, families and business owners to receive accurate information on both price and quality of service providers.

To read about the NASE’s other legislative priorities in health care, visit http://advocacy.nase.org/issue_briefs/2007/ImprovingHealthCare.asp.