Safety Net Hospitals Seeing More Paying Patients

The number of uninsured patients seeking treatment from safety net hospitals is dropping with the expansion of insurance coverage to 13 million people this year, according to a Kaiser Health News report.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act's extension of insurance coverage greatly benefited safety net hospitals, as they face billions in unpaid bills due to treating a great number of uninsured and low income patients, according to the report.

Medicaid expansion in many states across the nation has resulted in a faster and more drastic decline in the number of uninsured patients safety net hospitals are treating, according to the report.

Since 2013, Seattle-based Harborview Medical Center has seen a 10 percent drop in uninsured patients. Additionally, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Hospital in Little Rock and Denver (Colo.) Health have seen approximately 50 percent fewer uninsured patients since 2013, according to the report.

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