Families USA has released a report describing the costs to the insured that result from uninsured people who are unable to pay their bills. The report, entitled "Hidden Health Tax: Americans Pay a Premium," analyzes the cost-shift from the unpaid medical bills of the uninsured to those Americans with health insurance.

Key findings of the Families USA report:

• The uninsured end up paying over a third of their medical bills out of pocket. Governments and charities pick up another quarter of the cost. 
• The remaining 37 percent of the cost of the medical bills for the uninsured, or a stunning $42 billion, went unpaid in 2007.  
• That unpaid portion is passed on by providers to private insurers, who pass the cost on to the insured.

Families USA estimates that the average American family pays over $1,000 a year in higher health insurance premiums due to this cost-shift. (For an individual purchasing in the individual market, it's about $368.)The Center for American Progress found similar figures in a report earlier this year.

This cost-shift has intensified in recent years, the report states, as more people lose their health insurance. Without comprehensive health reform, it's also expected to continue to worsen.