The Effect of a Public Hospital's Transfer Policy on Patient Care

As the health care system becomes increasingly competitive, one of the country's most critical health issues — how to ensure access to care for the indigent — will continue to plague policy makers and health care providers alike. The problem of uncompensated care will not remain an issue only for the public hospitals, since the demand for uncompensated care far exceeds the capabilities of these providers. In Texas, where approximately one third of the hospitals are owned by investors, the public hospitals clearly bear a disproportionate share of the burden of uncompensated care. Analysis of a 1984 survey of 476.