Institute:Office of National Coordinator (ONC) Workforce Training Curriculum
Component:Introduction to Health Care and Public Health in the U.S.
Unit:Financing Health Care - Part 2
Lecture:Factors Contributing to Increasing U.S. Health Care Costs
Slide content:Financing Health Care, Part 2 Summary 2 Lecture c EMTALA Not resulted in increased utilization by the uninsured Not a major cause of increased utilization of the ED Uninsured costs 7% of total health care expenditures in 2004 Receive less care and treatment, sicker, higher mortality rates 25
Slide notes:Contrary to popular perception, the EMTALA Act has not increased utilization of the emergency department by the uninsured. Information from a study published in 2008 suggests that the percentage of uninsured using the emergency department (ED) did not increase significantly over a ten-year period. Rather there was an increase in utilization of the ED by insured individuals with a normal source of primary care. The total cost of care for the uninsured is approximately seven percent of all health care expenditures. In general, the uninsured receive less care and treatment for chronic disease and acute illness, are sicker when they seek care, and have a higher mortality rate. The challenge of the health care delivery system is to reduce or slow costs, maintain quality of care, and improve outcomes and accessibility to care. 25