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09/21/2011

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Brendan Saloner

Thanks, Paul. I think there are more reasons on the supply side:
1. In a world with uninsured people, hospitals do socially non-optimal things like close down their emergency departments in order to avoid providing uncompensated care. Ensuring that everybody has an insurance card is likely to avoid this.
2. Relatedly, makes it easier for safety net providers to obtain revenue, creates more predictability in local and state budgets.
I'm sure there's more to be said, but those two popped in to my mind.

Brad F

Paul
On #1/2, this is something I posted up on sometime back (very short, http://blogs.hospitalmedicine.org/SHMPracticeManagementBlog/?p=815

Fine. You wait to buy coverage and experience a traumatic event. You go to the hospital. You get a a bill for $15K. You are uninsured. The hospital eats a majority of it, and you work out a payment plan for 5-10 cents on the dollar. Maybe the hospital will collect. Who pays ultimately?

Not a fix. Illusory.

Brad

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