Vulnerable Populations

RUNNING HEADER: Vulnerable Populations II

Vulnerable Population II: Underinsured or Uninsured

By

Terry Scott

University of Phoenix

HCS/531 – Health Care Organizations and Delivery Systems

Kenneth Feldman

December 5, 2011

This paper will continue to discuss the vulnerable population of underinsured and uninsured people. It will highlight the impact of changes in groups such as age, ethnicity, gender and socioeconomic and education level. Other interests impacted by this vulnerable population is the health or illness trends such as disease morbidity and mortality rates, health care service needs like acute care, long term care, nursing homes, home health or hospice.

In addition, this population will examine the funding being used to assist this population, how it is impacted in the United States, a brief analysis of the issues and challenges of this population and the overall risk to the U.S. health care system if this specific population continues to rise two to three percent over the next five years as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 is enacted.

Financial Impact of Underinsured/Uninsured Population

The financial impact of the underinsured or uninsured population often results in people foregoing preventative care in health needs. “When sick, the uninsured may turn to emergency rooms for care, where oftentimes they are charged more for services than insured patients. And when uninsured patients can’t afford their medical bills, the cost of this care is passed on to the insured in the form of higher premiums” (About uninsured, n.d.).

The financial impact not only targets the underinsured or uninsured, the consumed costs are distributed to insured patients to absorb the unpaid medical costs, treatments and other expenses underinsured and uninsured patients incur.

As more and more of the population increases in this arena of becoming under or uninsured, these costs will astronomically increase.

Impact Changes on...