Maryland has saved nearly half a billion dollars in hospital costs over the last 15 years thanks to expanded insurance coverage.
The estimate comes from medical advocacy group Maryland Healthcare for All!, which will present its findings to the Maryland General Assembly later this week.
Over the 15 years, the state reduced the number of uninsured from 13% to 6%.
“When people go to the hospital without health care coverage under uncompensated hospital care, that’s a hidden health care tax, because it goes right into all of our health insurance premiums,” Vincent DeMarco, president of Maryland Healthcare for All! said. “Because of these health care expansions we have decreased uncompensated hospital care.”
