Uninsured Will Pay $30 Billion For Care In 2008: Study

If all the uninsured were covered by insurance, total costs would increase by $123 billion dollars, or an additional 5%, the study concludes. The analysis does not assess how much a universal coverage plan would cost the government, which would vary depending on the details of the approach, according to the authors.

People who are uninsured for a full year receive less than half as much care as the insured and pay 35% ($583) out of pocket towards average health costs of $1,686 per uninsured person, the article says.