Health systems are preparing for a new wave of financial pressure as rising healthcare costs, expiring ACA subsidies, and changes to Medicaid eligibility increase the likelihood that millions of Americans will lose health insurance coverage. While providers have spent years addressing the cost of care after patients become uninsured, a growing opportunity exists to prevent coverage loss before it occurs.

For many patients, increasing premiums and reduced financial assistance may make health insurance unaffordable. Some will drop coverage entirely, while others may delay treatment, fall behind on premium payments, or struggle to manage the growing cost of care. The result is a larger population of patients who remain medically vulnerable while creating increased financial risk for healthcare organizations.

When patients lose coverage, providers often experience a rise in self-pay balances, charity care utilization, bad debt, and reimbursement challenges. These financial pressures are especially significant among high-acuity patient populations receiving services such as oncology, infusion therapy, transplant care, advanced cardiac care, trauma, and burn treatment. Even a small number of uninsured patients in these service lines can create substantial uncompensated care exposure.

Traditional approaches such as charity care, self-pay discounts, and patient financing remain important tools, but they typically address financial challenges after coverage has already been lost. A more proactive strategy is helping eligible patients maintain access to health insurance coverage before they become uninsured.

Curae Sponsorship was developed to help providers address this challenge. The program supports qualified patients with financial need by helping them obtain and maintain ACA Marketplace or COBRA coverage. By keeping eligible patients insured, health systems can improve reimbursement, reduce uncompensated care, preserve charity care resources, and continue delivering necessary care to their communities.

The financial and clinical consequences of coverage loss are expected to intensify in the years ahead. Organizations that proactively identify at-risk patients and help them maintain coverage will be better positioned to protect revenue, improve patient outcomes, and strengthen financial stability.

Read the White Paper

Download the complete White Paper to learn:

• How expiring ACA subsidies and Medicaid changes may impact healthcare organizations
• Why coverage instability creates significant financial risk for providers
• The service lines most vulnerable to uncompensated care exposure
• The limitations of traditional financial assistance strategies
• How Curae Sponsorship helps eligible patients maintain coverage and access to care

Read the White Paper here:
https://curaercm.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Keeping-Patients-Insured-with-Curae-Patient-Financial-Access-Platform.pdf

For additional information about Curae Sponsorship and how it can help your organization reduce uncompensated care while improving patient access, contact Gary Johnson, Chief Growth Officer at Curae.