LOS ANGELES, March 6 (UPI) -- People who don't have health insurance pay the highest prices for hospital care, according to information supplied to the U.S. federal government.
Uninsured patients are billed two, three, four or more times what an insurance company would pay for the same treatment, the CBS News program "60 Minutes" reported. And when the uninsured can't pay, they often find themselves the target of collection agencies or in bankruptcy court.
Carlos Ferlini, who installs and repairs gutters, faced a $264,000 bill from a Burbank, Calif., hospital after he was seriously injured in a fall from a roof. Ferlini spent 18 days at Providence St. Joseph's Medical Center recovering from a fractured skull and ribs and a punctured lung.
While the hospital charged Ferlini almost a quarter of a million dollars, it would accept just under $50,000 from an insurance company for the same treatment, "60 Minutes" said.
He paid more than $5,800 a day for intensive care, nearly 2.5 times more than an insurance company would pay.
