It's a sign of the times, I suppose: As health insurance becomes more expensive, more employers (especially small businesses and others that operate at the margins of profitability) drop health insurance, throwing more employees into the category of "self-pay" (unless they can afford coverage in the extravagantly priced individual-policy market), thus increasing the percentage of self-pay patients showing up at hospitals' doors, thus increasing the percentage of bad debt those hospitals carry (as a percentage of patient revenue). That is Triad Hospitals' explanation for third-quarter earnings that are 18 or 19 cents below analysts' expectations. The story is from Modern Healthcare's "Daily Digest" (requires paid subscription). Triad's press release is here.
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
If it could happen to Triad, it could happen to you
It's a sign of the times, I suppose: As health insurance becomes more expensive, more employers (especially small businesses and others that operate at the margins of profitability) drop health insurance, throwing more employees into the category of "self-pay" (unless they can afford coverage in the extravagantly priced individual-policy market), thus increasing the percentage of self-pay patients showing up at hospitals' doors, thus increasing the percentage of bad debt those hospitals carry (as a percentage of patient revenue). That is Triad Hospitals' explanation for third-quarter earnings that are 18 or 19 cents below analysts' expectations. The story is from Modern Healthcare's "Daily Digest" (requires paid subscription). Triad's press release is here.
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