FIGURE ES.1 Consequences of uninsurance.

• uninsured for either part of or the entire year is estimated to be $98.9 billion for 2001.

• The best available estimate of the value of uncompensated healthcare services provided to persons who lack health insurance for some or all of a year is roughly $35 billion annually, about 2.8 percent of total national spending for personal health care services.

The direct costs of uncompensated care provided to uninsuredpeople are largely borne by those who pay taxes. Public support from the federal, state, and local governments accounts for between 75 and 85 percent of the total value of uncompensated care estimated to be provided to uninsured people each year (Hadley and Holahan, 2003a). Public subsidies to hospitals are paid through

• federal Medicaid and Medicare disproportionate share hospital (DSH) pay-ments and other financing mechanisms, and