"After we pay hospital expenses, maybe a thousand more," the man from Pinkerton's said.

The companies provide specialists who second-guess the doctors and monitor cases to minimize hospital expenses.

Instead, donations and contributions from people and corporations covered most of the hospital expenses.

"They don't take into account laboratory costs, equipment and hospital expense."

The fees collected from the patients cover only about 40% of the total hospital expenses.

The votes preserved an annual limit on the amount elderly people must pay in hospital expenses.

Because the company is prohibited by law from directly negotiating with hospitals for lower rates, hospital expenses did not change.

In April 1933 friends collected funds for hospital expenses.

"Since 1994," he said, "the annual rate of increase in hospital expenses per admission has been consistently below the level of inflation."

Twice I went through all my savings to cover hospital expenses, even with two-thirds paid by my employer.