The Ripple Effect of Uninsured Populations: Impacts on Healthcare

An estimated 45 million Americans lack health insurance coverage. The consequences of an uninsured population are not limited to the uninsured themselves; rather, the ripple effect demonstrates that the problem affects the insured, as well.

Significance

• The uninsured often seek medical care in hospital emergency rooms. Hospitals are usually not compensated for this care, an effect that ripples throughout the health care system.

Size

• A 2004 study by the Kaiser Family Foundation reported that the nation's uninsured cost society $125 billion a year.

Effects

• The costs affect the insured and uninsured alike, mainly through higher taxes for public health programs and higher medical costs.

Features

• Privately insured Americans face higher hospital bills and other medical costs to offset the cost of caring for the uninsured.

Expert Insight

• Policy analyst Ronald Bachman studied the costs of the uninsured in the state of Georgia and found that insured Georgia residents pay 20 percent more on medical bills to offset the costs of the uninsured.