THE FOUR CATEGORIES
of uncompensated health care services

Charity: Services provided at reduced or no cost to patients without insurance or the personal financial resources to pay; hospitals cover all or most of these health care costs.

Medicaid: Government insurance/assistance programs for low-income patients that pay at rates far below actual costs; hospitals cover most of each patient's bill. Coverage may be provided under the standard Medicaid or through the Oregon Health Plan. This is the largest group of needy patients in Oregon and at OHSU.

Medicare: Government insurance program primarily for senior citizens; while higher than Medicaid, payments are lower than actual costs. Hospitals cover part of each patient's bill.

Bad Debt: Unpaid services provided to patients who have been determined to have adequate financial resources but choose not to pay. Different criteria by health systems about what constitutes adequate financial resources sometimes confuse the use of this term.