Despite a modest increase in the uninsured rate, hospital uncompensated care in 2017 was $38.4 billion, essentially the same as it was in 2016 and down from the all-time high of $46.8 billion in 2013.
This comes from an American Hospital Association survey that also found that in 2017,
- hospital admissions and inpatient days rose modestly
- hospital outpatient visits and surgeries increased
- emergency room visits declined
- the proportion of for-profit hospitals declined
- the number of rural hospitals fell
Learn more in the Healthcare Dive article “Uncompensated care costs flat in 2017 despite uptick in uninsured.”