The myth of uncompensated care

May 24, 2011

The "problem" of uncompensated care -- where an uninsured person obtains health services and cannot or does not pay -- was the primary justification for Obamacare. These "free riders," as they are known, are driving up health costs, Obamacare proponents say. Unfortunately, this "problem" is greatly overstated. For a few rational takes on uncompensated care, check out the National Center for Policy Analysis' John Goodman, Forbes' Avik Roy and the Cato Institute's Michael Cannon.