Wausau-Based Hospital Credits Affordable Care Act For Decrease In Uncompensated Care

Aspirus Hospital in Wausau saved millions of dollars in the last financial quarter because of the Affordable Care Act.

Aspirus Hospital saved $3.8 million dollars in uncompensated care in the last quarter — a 58 percent reduction in what it costs to treat people who don’t pay their bills. Chief Financial Officer Sid Sczygelski said most of the savings came from the expansion of Medicaid and the new health care exchanges.

“The majority of the decrease in uncompensated care is related to the provisions within the Affordable Care Act … providing more coverage for people that didn’t have access to health care,” said Sczygelski. “I think it is allowing people to seek services that they probably either would have delayed or sought through a more expensive means, such as the emergency department. So I think from that standpoint, it is working.”

Sczygelski expects the savings to increase as more people sign up for the exchanges this year.