::THE SLICE REPORT WITH MONA AUSTIN

- - - - - - - BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA A PROCLAMATION (WASHINGTON, DC) - Healthcare providers and taxpayers bear substantial costs in paying for medical expenses incurred by people who lack health insurance or the ability to pay for their healthcare.  Hospitals and other providers often administer care to the uninsured without any hope of receiving reimbursement from them.  The costs associated with this care are passed on to the American people in the form of higher taxes, higher premiums, and higher fees for medical services.  In total, uncompensated care costs -- the overall measure of unreimbursed services that hospitals give their patients -- have exceeded $35 billion in each of the last 10 years.  These costs amount to approximately $7 million on average for each hospital in the United States, and can drive hospitals into insolvency.  Beyond uncompensated care costs, the uninsured strain Federal and State governme...