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The Hoover Institution’s library and tower will be closed on Tuesday morning, February 14, 2012, due to electrical work. The Hoover archives will be open during the process. The library and tower will reopen at 11:30 am on February 14, 2012. We apologize for any inconvenience.
April 1, 2007
publications » monographs

The Uninsured’s Hidden Tax on Health Insurance Premiums in California

by John F. Cogan; Matthew Gunn; Daniel P. Kessler; and Evan J. Lodes

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Summary

The basic premise behindmany recent California health-care reform plans is that Californians who have health insurance bear a large part of the financial burden of the health-care services provided to the uninsured. Doctors and hospitals, by charging insured persons systematically higher prices for health-care services, shift the costs of treating the uninsured onto the insured. These higher charges cause higher health insurance premiums— California’s ‘‘hidden tax.’’ According to reform advocates, the hidden tax is so large that the reforms, which include mandates and new taxes, will actually reduce those premiums.

Essay

Please download the attached PDF file to read the essay.