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March 05, 2009
Uninsured hospital admissions rose by 34 percent between 1997 and 2006, report indicates
HealthDay (2/19, Predit) reported, "Between 1997 and 2006, hospital admissions for uninsured Americans rose by 34 percent, from 1.7 million to 2.2 million stays," according to a report by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Furthermore, "the increase is more than double the 14 percent rise in overall hospital admissions during that same period." The study also found that "the cost for treating uninsured patients increased 76 percent between 1997 and 2006, from $11,000 to $19,400 per patient, after adjusting for inflation."
Over the same period, "there was a 69 percent increase in hospital charges overall." Several conditions stood out as "major contributors to the significant increase in uninsured hospitalizations," including a rise in skin infections, "chest pain with no known cause," and " hospitalizations for depression and other mood disorders. "
The agency based its report on the study "'Trends in Uninsured Hospital Stays, 1997-2006'...which uses statistics from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample, a database of hospital inpatient stays."
Related Links:
- "Uninsured Hospital Stays On the Rise," Robert Preidt, HealthDay, February 19, 2009.
Posted by admin at March 5, 2009 03:48 PM