RT Journal
A1 Stillman MD
T1 ENough, already
JF JAMA
JO JAMA
YR 2012
FD December 12
VO 308
IS 22
SP 2347
OP 2348
DO 10.1001/jama.2012.14475
UL http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jama.2012.14475
AB 
Since 2006 when then-governor Mitt Romney signed into law a virtual twin of the Affordable Care Act, only around 5% of Massachusetts' population lacks health insurance. In my Louisville clinic, however, 60% of the patients are uninsured, and they represent the full spectrum of ethnicity, age, wellness, and employment status. While our hospital offers uninsured patients reduced-cost office visits, access to inexpensive generic prescriptions, and sliding-scale charges for laboratory testing, they pay full price for imaging studies, certain preventive vaccinations, and diagnostic tests, including cardiac stress tests and sleep studies. They receive only the care they are able to pay for themselves and lack reassurance that their next minor illness won't destroy them financially.