Donna M. Christensen
We are in the midst of a national crisis that will affect more people’s lives 100 million Americans, including Delaware. The crisis is exacerbating racial disparities in health and wealth. Some Americans have stopped saving for retirement, others have stopped investing in their children’s education. Patients with only a few months to live are forced to spend their last days on Earth, battling with companies over medical bills and costs. This is America’s health care debt crisis, crushing millions of hardworking families.
So this October — Health Literacy Month — consumers seeking quality care are sharing information that Delawareans can use to keep out-of-pocket health care costs low and avoid medical debt. Key tips are avoiding unwieldy health insurance plans and policies, asking the right questions about charity care options, and knowing your rights in the event of unexpected medical bills.
Choosing the right health insurance has a big impact on Americans’ finances. When choosing insurance for you and your family, it is important to be aware of short term limited term insurance plans, or STLDI plans. These so-called “junk plans” are nominal insurance and are exempt from many of the consumer protections found in the Affordable Care Act. While your monthly premium payments may be lower, STLDI plans often exclude pre-existing conditions, have price limits on covered services, and don’t need to cover preventive health services at all. In fact, STLDI plans often cost less than 10 cents in medical costs for every dollar you pay in premiums.
But it’s not just poor planning that leads to large out-of-pocket and medical bills. High deductibles (the amount you have to pay before your insurance starts covering treatment), high copays (the amount your insurance has to pay for treatment), and high co-insurance (treatment The rise of health insurance plans with covered services that pay even after the deductible) means that insured Delawareans seeking care are often left with large bills they cannot pay. To do.
Some of these plans also include co-pay accumulators that pass on the cost of prescription drugs from insurance companies to patients by not counting financial assistance received, such as vouchers or coupons, against the deductible. It is It’s like paying for groceries with a gift card, but you swipe the gift card and the store deducts all the money, but you won’t receive the groceries until you’ve paid. Also — again — cash out of your own pocket. It’s a double-dip for insurance companies, leaving many Americans saddled with debt or unable to afford life-saving drugs.
Although 14 states have banned out-of-pocket accumulation, Delaware lawmakers have not taken steps to protect patients. The need for a nationwide ban on this harmful practice has been underscored, and it has left many patients without medical bills. pay.
Not only should you be wary of unwieldy insurance plans, but you should also ask questions about your options for getting treatment at non-profit hospitals. The truth is that nonprofit hospitals are meant to provide the public with more affordable care in exchange for significant tax cuts, but nonprofit hospital executives often make big bucks instead. For example, IRS regulations require nonprofit hospitals to provide financial assistance to eligible patients, but less than half Which of these hospitals informed patients that they may be eligible for charity care. bad, 45% of non-profit hospitals Regularly bill patients who qualify for charity care.
To protect yourself, ask about your options if you are being treated at a nonprofit hospital. If you feel you have been unfairly and unlawfully denied charity care, please file a complaint below. Delaware Department of Health and Social Services.
Finally, if you receive a surprise bill from your healthcare provider, you should know your rights. A law called the No Surprise Act went into effect earlier this year to help stop the unfair surprise billing practices that are driving millions of Americans into debt.Unfortunately, about 1 in 5 Americans He reported receiving astonishing medical bills since the law went into effect. If you receive a surprise medical bill this year that you believe violates the No Surprise Act, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services website Find out more and file a complaint. Local legal aid organizations may also be able to provide assistance.
It’s no secret that we need a major overhaul of the healthcare system. A reform that would stop hospitals and insurance companies from seeing sick people and their families as a source of profit. Until then, CQC is committed to ensuring that people in Delaware are informed by sharing the information they need to make healthy health decisions.
Honorable Donna M. Christensen is a member of the Consumers for Quality Care Committee. She retired in 2015 after serving her ninth term as a U.S. Representative. She is the first female doctor in the history of the United States Congress.
