You might say Lance Deagan of Lansing is going through a rough patch.

"I've been in and out of the hospital quite a bit this year," Deagan said.

The forty-one year old has severe pancreatitus, neuropathy and diabetes. He used to have health insurance, but lost his job.

"I'm trying to get coverage through other ways," he said. "I'm just trying to get by."

But the frequent visits to the hospital mean his medical bills are piling up.

"Some stays are like $6,000," Deagan said.

Bills he just can't afford.

Deagan is not alone.

According to the Michigan Health and Hospital Association, since 2001, Michigan hospital uncompensated care has increased 80 percent.

In just 2007, uncompensated care levels reached a record $1.6 billion.

"I've been in the industry about 31 years and the amount of self-pay and uninsured or under insured, is growing," Tom Koerner said.

Koerner is in the billing department at Sparrow Hospital. He said the hospital spent more than $37 million in charity care in 2006.

"A portion is bad debt," Koerner said. "It's stuff we don't get reimbursed for. A patient comes in, they have a high deductible, they don't pay it, then it becomes bad debt for the hospital."

And Koerner expects those numbers to rise.

"We do know what's coming down the road," he said. "We do know it's going to be more difficult to collect these claims."

With, or without insurance, Koerner said the hospitals have financial plans to help people like Deagan get the care they need.

There are resources for the uninsured:

The Michigan Health and Hospital Association started a web site in 2007 to help people research hospitals by the price of procedure or even quality of care.

The Web site is:

www.mihospitalinform.org