This is the seventh in a series of commonly believed health myths based upon the research from Fox News analyst James Farrell.
More Information:
Hospitals provided about $35 billion in uncompensated care in 2008, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) says.
Uncompensated care represented only 5% of total hospital revenues.
In addition, half of the $35 billionn in uncompensated hospital costs were offset by Medicare and Medicaid.
And the cost of uncompensated care for the uninsured is “unlikely to have a substantial effect on private payment rates,” the CBO says, adding that shifting costs from uninsured to private insurance premiums is “likely to be relatively small.”
Source: CBO, “Key Issues in Analyzing Major Health Insurance Proposals,” December 2008.
Here are the topics for the entire series:

• Health Myth #1: “The U.S. has one of the highest infant mortality rates in the developed world.”
• Health Myth #2: “About 46 million Americans lack access to health insurance.”
• New Analysis of the Myth: “46 Million Americans Without Health Insurance”
• Health Myth #3: “The uninsured can’t afford to buy coverage.”
• Health Myth #4: “Most of the uninsured do not have health insurance because they are not working and so don’t have access to health benefits through an employer.”
• Health Myth #5: “The estimated 45 million people without health insurance lacked health insurance for every day of the year.”
• Health Myth #6: “Government-run universal health care would increase the international competitiveness of U.S. companies.”
• Health Myth #7: “The cost of uncompensated care for the uninsured significantly increases hospital costs.”
• Health Myth #8: “Nationalized health care would not impact patient waiting times.”
• Health Myth #9: “Insurers cover less today than they did in the past.”
• Health Myth #10: “Preventive Medicine Saves Money”