ABSTRACT
A preponderance of the evidence indicates that lack of health insurance imposes costs on the uninsured through poorer health status than they would otherwise experience (Hadley, 2002). The uninsured tend to delay care, are sicker when they receive treatment, and often obtain medical attention in hospital emergency rooms, which is a particularly inefficient method of delivering most health services. Inadequate access to health insurance may also impose costs associated with financial insecurity related to a lower probability of employment and insufficient asset protection (Stern, 1989).3
