McKinsey Study: Insureds Owe More Than Uninsureds

Who would have thought this? (https://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/Health_Care/Strategy_Analysis/The_next_wave_of_change_for_US_health_care_payments_2585):

According to our modeling of the 2010 flow of health care funds, consumers now pay more in health care costs than do employers. This cost is split among direct payment of noncovered services, out-of-pocket expenses after insurance, and the consumers’ share of premium expenses. Uncompensated care from 46 million uninsured Americans continues to be an issue, but one that will be mitigated by reform. In fact, the fastest-growing portion of bad debt stems from what insured patients fail to pay after insurers have paid their portion of medical bills. This category will likely grow as more insured patients enter the market following passage of the new health care law. For example, at one multifacility hospital system, we found that, for insured patients, “balance after insurance” is growing at 30 percent a year; for patients without insurance (those who pay for services from their own pockets), that figure is only 19 percent.