Better access: If the emergency room is the only place open when people are off from work, that's where they will end up. And that increases medical bills. Instead, creating more clinics that are open after hours and on weekends gives people more options.

Better coverage and reimbursement: If more people are enrolled in health insurance programs, then less of the healthcare costs for the uninsured would be pushed onto others. There would be less cost-shifting if government programs increased reimbursements for treatments...

Cost-shifting: Treating the uninsured and underinsured often results in the costs of treatment being shifted onto those who are insured. This is exacerbated by low reimbursement from government programs, such as Medicare. The New America Foundation estimates that "cost shifting" results in a 10 percent increase for people with insurance, or $1,186 in additional premiums each year to cover a family...

For the complete article, please visit the Ventura County Star website.

To view the New America Health report, A Premium Price, please click here.