January 2, 2014
U.S. hospitals provided $45.9 billion in uncompensated care in 2012, according to the latest data from the AHA’s Annual Survey of Hospitals. That’s $4.8 billion, or 11.7%, more than in 2011. The total includes “bad debt” (services for which hospitals anticipated but did not receive payment) and charity care (services for which hospitals neither received nor expected payment because they determined, with help from the patient, the patient’s inability to pay). It does not include Medicaid and Medicare underpayment.
Source: AHA News
http://www.ahanews.com/ahanews/jsp/display.jsp?dcrpath=AHANEWS/AHANewsNowArticle/data/ann_010214_uncompensated&domain=AHANEWS