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Nationwide, 75 million adults, representing 42% of the Americans under the age of 65, were either uninsured or underinsured.1
As reported by the Kaiser Health Foundation, the number of uninsured in 2009 climbed by 4.3 million.2
Further, the number of Americans who are now enrolled in high-deductible health plans has also increased. For example, the number of High-Deductible Health Plans (HDHP) associated with Health Savings Accounts (HSA) went up by 1.4 million in 2010.3
In Northern Virginia, a region which hosts two of the most afluent counties in the U.S., the official number of uninsured represents 18% of the area’s population or 389,500 individuals.4 Unfortunately there is no information on the number of underinsured for this region, but if we apply the national ratio (1:2), that would mean there are 194,750 underinsured.
It’s been well documented that people who lack insurance or have high-deductible plans are more likely to go without necessary care or die prematurely. Over one half (53%) of the underinsured and two thirds (68%) of the uninsured went without care in 2007, as they reported difficulties paying for medical bills. A Harvard Medical School study (2009) revealed that as many as 44,789 people die annually nationwide due to lack of health insurance.1,5, 6, 7
This website is intended as a patient resource for healthcare cost for uninsured and underinsured. To provide a better perspective we compiled prices by therapeutic area for top chronic diseases. Initially we will be focusing on the Northern Virginia area and we expect to add additional regions in the future.
In essence, we aim to answer the following questions:
1. Can you shop for prices? If so, where?
2. What is the cost for the doctor's visit, lab tests (e.g., blood, imaging), medication, etc?
3. Do providers offer discounts for the uninsured and if so are they comparable with those of other payers?
3. What government pays for the same services?
4. What resoures are available for the uninsured?
The providers outlined on this site were randomly selected and we are not associated with any of these companies.
If you are an organization who is aware of other resources or if you are a provider that would like to extend discounted prices for the uninsured and underinsured, please let us know.
Sources:
1. C. Schoen, S. R. Collins, J. L. Kriss, and M. M. Doty, How Many Are Underinsured? Trends Among U.S. Adults, 2003 and 2007, Health Affairs Web Exclusive, June 10, 2008:w298–w309
2. The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, (December 2010), The Uninsured A Primer: Key Facts About Americans Without Health Insurance
3. AHIP Center for Policy and Research, (June 2011), January 2011 Census Shows 11.4 Million People Covered by Health Savings Account/High Deductible Health Plans (HAS/HDHPs)
4. 2011 Country Health Rankings, Virginia, retrieved at http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/virginia/overall-rankings
The data has been complied for the following counties/cities (Alexandria, Falls Church, Manassas, and Manassas Park cities; Arlington, Fairfax, Loudon, Prince Williams, and Fauquier counties)
5. Melinda Beeuwkes Buntin, Amelia M. Haviland, Roland McDevitt, Neeraj Sood, (March 2011), Healthcare Spending and Preventive Care in High-Deductible and Consumer-Directed Health Plans, The American Journal of Managed Care, v. 17, no. 3
6. Stan Dorn, Uninsured and Dying Because of It: Updating the Institute of Medicine Analysis on the Impact of Uninsurance on Mortality, January 2008, The Urban Insitute
7. Andrew P. Wilper, Steffie Woolhandler, Karen E. Lasser, Danny McCormick, David H. Bor, and David U. Himmelstein, (March 2009), American Journal of Public Health. 2009;99: doi:10.2105/AJPH.2008.157685
As reported by the Kaiser Health Foundation, the number of uninsured in 2009 climbed by 4.3 million.2
Further, the number of Americans who are now enrolled in high-deductible health plans has also increased. For example, the number of High-Deductible Health Plans (HDHP) associated with Health Savings Accounts (HSA) went up by 1.4 million in 2010.3
In Northern Virginia, a region which hosts two of the most afluent counties in the U.S., the official number of uninsured represents 18% of the area’s population or 389,500 individuals.4 Unfortunately there is no information on the number of underinsured for this region, but if we apply the national ratio (1:2), that would mean there are 194,750 underinsured.
It’s been well documented that people who lack insurance or have high-deductible plans are more likely to go without necessary care or die prematurely. Over one half (53%) of the underinsured and two thirds (68%) of the uninsured went without care in 2007, as they reported difficulties paying for medical bills. A Harvard Medical School study (2009) revealed that as many as 44,789 people die annually nationwide due to lack of health insurance.1,5, 6, 7
This website is intended as a patient resource for healthcare cost for uninsured and underinsured. To provide a better perspective we compiled prices by therapeutic area for top chronic diseases. Initially we will be focusing on the Northern Virginia area and we expect to add additional regions in the future.
In essence, we aim to answer the following questions:
1. Can you shop for prices? If so, where?
2. What is the cost for the doctor's visit, lab tests (e.g., blood, imaging), medication, etc?
3. Do providers offer discounts for the uninsured and if so are they comparable with those of other payers?
3. What government pays for the same services?
4. What resoures are available for the uninsured?
The providers outlined on this site were randomly selected and we are not associated with any of these companies.
If you are an organization who is aware of other resources or if you are a provider that would like to extend discounted prices for the uninsured and underinsured, please let us know.
Sources:
1. C. Schoen, S. R. Collins, J. L. Kriss, and M. M. Doty, How Many Are Underinsured? Trends Among U.S. Adults, 2003 and 2007, Health Affairs Web Exclusive, June 10, 2008:w298–w309
2. The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured, (December 2010), The Uninsured A Primer: Key Facts About Americans Without Health Insurance
3. AHIP Center for Policy and Research, (June 2011), January 2011 Census Shows 11.4 Million People Covered by Health Savings Account/High Deductible Health Plans (HAS/HDHPs)
4. 2011 Country Health Rankings, Virginia, retrieved at http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/virginia/overall-rankings
The data has been complied for the following counties/cities (Alexandria, Falls Church, Manassas, and Manassas Park cities; Arlington, Fairfax, Loudon, Prince Williams, and Fauquier counties)
5. Melinda Beeuwkes Buntin, Amelia M. Haviland, Roland McDevitt, Neeraj Sood, (March 2011), Healthcare Spending and Preventive Care in High-Deductible and Consumer-Directed Health Plans, The American Journal of Managed Care, v. 17, no. 3
6. Stan Dorn, Uninsured and Dying Because of It: Updating the Institute of Medicine Analysis on the Impact of Uninsurance on Mortality, January 2008, The Urban Insitute
7. Andrew P. Wilper, Steffie Woolhandler, Karen E. Lasser, Danny McCormick, David H. Bor, and David U. Himmelstein, (March 2009), American Journal of Public Health. 2009;99: doi:10.2105/AJPH.2008.157685
