Unintended Consequences: How Federal Regulations and Hospital Policies can Leave Patients in Debt

June 2003 Unintended Consequences: How Federal Regulations and Hospital Policies can Leave Patients in Debt Carol Pryor and Robert Seifert, The Access Project A substantial body of research indicates that the uninsured are more likely than the insured to delay or forgo care because of cost, but even the insured may find cost a significant barrier to care. Recent research has documented that, in order to obtain medical care, many individuals are forced into debt, often with serious consequences for themselves and their families. In one survey, 60 percent of uninsured respondents who received ambulatory care primarily at safety-net . . .