Charity Patients

WHEN HEALTHCARE IS LIMITED

Treating Charity Patients

Charity or uninsured patients do not receive adequate health care. They cannot afford it as hospitals charge them to four times more than those with healthcare coverage (The Associated Press, 2004). Hospitals explain that the steep charges are meant to cover the increasing costs of indigent care. These patients who are already financially crippled are furthermore subjected to aggressive debt collectors. About 43 million Americans have no health insurance. Insurers typically spent less than $10,000 for a heart attack treatment at a hospital in 2002 as compared to charity patients' incurring an average of $30,000. (The Associated Press).

Literature Review

A Universal Healthcare Suggested

Many hospitals refuse to allow discounts or a negotiation of patients' bills out of fear of violating federal fraud and abuse laws (The Associated Press, 2004). The Health and Human Services Department issued guidelines to help hospitals...
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