WASHINGTON (AP) – The government says the number of uninsured patients admitted into hospitals has dropped markedly this year, reducing charity care and bad debt cases particularly in states that have expanded Medicaid coverage under the new federal health care law.

The Health and Human Services Department says in a report that hospitals in states that have taken advantage of new Medicaid eligibility levels have seen uninsured admissions fall by about 30 percent. The report estimates the cost of uncompensated hospital care will be $5.7 billion lower in 2014.

The announcement of the findings is part of the Obama administration's continuing efforts to persuade the 23 states that so far have declined to expand their Medicaid coverage to reconsider.

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