The following communication was sent to North Carolina’s state representatives this afternoon:
While health care boosts the physical and economic health of our state, many North Carolinians cannot afford the health care they need. That is why every hospital affiliated with the UNC Health Care System offers care to every single patient that enters our doors, regardless of their ability to pay.
In total, UNC provides approximately $2 billion yearly in direct patient care. A growing portion of that care – more than 15 percent – is uncompensated care.
Uncompensated care is part of our public responsibility and our state-mandated mission to provide care for North Carolinians. As health-care costs have grown, so has hospitals’ responsibility to offer care to patients who need it, regardless of their ability to pay.
The UNC Health Care System was created to serve North Carolina’s health care needs. Today, we employ more than 12,000 people and treat patients from all 100 counties. Our work through the Area Health Education Centers helps bring care to rural and underserved areas, and our partnerships with other providers increase access to care for patients all across our state.
Over the past four years, UNC’s uncompensated care has grown by approximately 14 percent each year. The UNC Health Care System, including Rex, provides more than $300 million in uncompensated care – more than any other health system in the state. At Rex, inpatient Medicaid and uninsured cases have doubled in recent years.
What started 60 years ago as one hospital and a medical school is now an integrated and collaborative health system of physicians, hospitals, nurses, researchers, teachers and students. UNC Health Care is recognized as a national a leader in teaching, research and state-of-the-art care, but our most important work is offering excellent care to all our patients.