Esta atención subsidiada está disponible para pacientes internados como para consultas, sin importar si se trata de una emergencia. Cubre toda la factura o sólo una parte, dependiendo de los ingresos. El hospital debe bridar un trato equitativo a estos pacientes.

¿A qué se obligan los hospitales que reciben este dinero? Los hospitales participantes deben:

• Tratar a los pacientes de bajos ingresos de forma gratuita o según su escala de ingresos.
• Notificar a los pacientes que se admiten al hospital así como al público acerca de los fondos recibidos.
• Instruir a los pacientes sobre cómo solicitar ayuda del ICTF.
• No pedir a pacientes elegibles que paguen un depósito al ser admitidos al hospital.
• Ayudar a los pacientes a solicitar fondos del ICTF antes o después del tratamiento.
• Ayudar a los pacientes de cualquier condado de Georgia, independientemente de si ése es el condado donde viven.

¿Qué excluye? Para la mayoría de los hospitales, el ICTF no cubre facturas de médicos o costos deducibles de Medicare.

¿Cómo lo solicito? Puede llamar a la oficina de negocios del hospital y preguntar por el encargado de las cuentas o facturación de los pacientes, o al trabajador social del hospital, si cuentan con uno. Después de contactar al hospital y llenar una solicitud, el hospital tiene cinco días hábiles para tomar la decisión sobre si usted es elegible para atención gratuita o precios reducidos según sus ingresos.

¿Qué debo hacer si el hospital rechaza mi solicitud? Pida al hospital que reconsidere la solicitud. Si se la niegan de nuevo, tiene derecho a apelar al gobierno en cuanto a la elegibilidad.

¿Cómo puedo apelar? Envíe una queja por escrito al Departamento de Salud Comunitaria, DCH (Department of Community Health) donde explique por qué cree que el hospital cometió un error al rechazar la solicitud, y pida al DCH que interceda ante el hospital para que cambie su decisión. También debe enviar una queja al hospital. Envíe la apelación a:

Indigent care Trust Fund, Hospital Reimbursement Services

Department of Community Health
PO Box 38490
Two Peachtree Street, NW
Atlanta, GA 30303-3159
Phone: 404.463.5827 or 877-261-3117

• Get your teeth cleaned twice a year. Good oral hygiene is essential for good health, as issues with your teeth and gums can lead to more severe medical issues.

• Know your free or reduced clinics, and use these as your first stop for care. By utilizing neighborhood clinics, you can often avoid hospital visits, which are far more expensive than a clinic visit. Most clinics have waiting lists and limited hours of operations, so be sure to check with the individual clinic.

• Do not go to the emergency room unless it is a true emergency. As soon as you sign in at an emergency room, you have incurred a cost that ranges between $300 to $750, even before you see a nurse or doctor.

• If you do require hospital care and are not eligible for financial assistance, try negotiating with the hospital. Most will give you a discount on your care if you agree to pay the bill. You should, though, request an itemized bill that you scrutinize carefully so you don’t agree to pay for services, tests or medications you did not receive.

• Know your rights as a health care consumer. Hospitals and other health care providers are obligated to give you clear and transparent financial information about your bill and any health care procedures.

• Ask questions. It’s your right to ask your doctor why he is ordering a certain medical test and for your doctor to explain why this is medically appropriate. If you do not have insurance, this is especially important so that you avoid unnecessary tests that will drive up your bill.

• If you are uninsured or have high deductibles, inquire about charges before seeing your doctor or a specialist.

• If you are insured, read each page of your insurance policy carefully. If you don’t understand a portion of your policy, call the insurer’s help line for clarification. Understanding what coverage you have could help you avoid costly bills.

You are considered medically indigent if your income is at the poverty level or below. For a family of one, this is $10,830. For a family of two, this amount is $14,570. You can find additional amounts on our Web site.

You are eligible for charity care if you make twice the Federal Poverty Level or below.

Know, though, that some financial resources – such as child support or disability payments – can also be counted in the income requirements.

Hospitals most often require information such as proof of income, proof of residency and tax information to process your application. Most hospitals require a patient to reapply for financial assistance each time they visit the hospital.

Your hospital will likely automatically screen you for Medicaid eligibility. Be sure to ask, though, as you may be eligible for financial assistance through that program.

While the letters have alarmed patients who worry they’ll have to switch hospitals or insurance companies, an Atlanta health consultant said the letters could simply be a negotiating tactic and that people probably have little to worry about.

Michael Rovinsky of Integrity Consulting Group said such letters have become a commonplace tactic during hardball negotiations between insurers and hospitals, used by both sides. One side, for instance, might use the letter to alarm patients, who then could call and apply pressure to the other side to settle the negotiations, he said.

“It’s using patients as a pawn for negotiations,” said Rovinsky, a healthcare consultant for some 25 years.

Read the rest of the article here.

Channel 2 Action News reporter Jovita Moore met Essie Powell doing what she does every day, up to 16-hours a day sometimes, for 37 years – cleaning other people’s houses.

“The only thing I do know is clean. I don’t know anything else so…,” said Powell.

She came to Atlanta and first cleaned for women with breast cancer. A few months ago, Powell found out she now has cancer herself.

Read the rest of the article here.

The study, Women at Risk: Why Many Women Are Forgoing Needed Health Care, by Commonwealth Fund researchers Sheila Rustgi, Michelle Doty, and Sara Collins finds that overall, seven of 10 working-age women, or an estimated 64 million women, have no health insurance coverage or inadequate coverage, medical bill or debt problems, or problems accessing needed health care because of cost.

“More families are making difficult choices between needed health care, making payments on mortgages or credit card debt, and purchasing basic necessities,” said Commonwealth Fund President Karen Davis. “This study underscores the need for affordable universal health coverage and protection against catastrophic financial losses not only for women—who are more likely to be at risk for high premiums and medical bills—but for all Americans.”

Read the rest of the article here.

The skepticism comes amid high hopes by others that consumers could see some relief within the next few years from crushing medical costs that, for some, have led to personal bankruptcy and other grim financial consequences.

Karen Davis, president of the health care foundation the Commonwealth Fund, said the public would likely share the trillions of dollars saved by the year 2019.

Read the rest of the article here.