Hospital Care for the Uninsured in Miami-Dade County: Hospital Finance and Patient Travel Patters (2002)

One-quarter of the population in Miami-Dade County, Florida, lacks health insurance. Many of the uninsured receive hospital care at the county's sole public health-care facility, Jackson Memorial Hospital (JMH). This study examines the extent to which uncompensated care is provided by hospitals other than JMH, and whether patients are passing up facilities much nearer to their homes and traveling long distances for care. The report concludes with recommendations for improving the financing and provision of hospital care for the county's indigent population.