Uninsured patients negotiate final hospital bill

Uninsured patients negotiate anywhere from 20 to 40 percent off area hospitals’ medical-care charges, depending on what other federal, state or local assistance they receive.

These charges and collections are significant, hospital representatives say, because care for the uninsured ranges from about 7 to 15 percent of their total business.

Everyone who is admitted for a medical procedure, area hospital officials say, will be charged the same price at their hospital whether they have health insurance or not.

How much of that bill the hospital collects from the patient or insurance company, however, depends on the rates it negotiates with insurance…