Another prolem: I stayed at a hospital in Massachusetts and I live in NY. Is there some kind of public/out-of-state medical assistance I can get to help pay for these bills?
2007-01-29 13:56:47 · 14 answers · asked by Newell 2 in Business & Finance ➔ Insurance
Contact the Social Service Department at the hospital you were confined to!!
2007-01-29 14:01:33 · answer #1 · answered by peachiepie 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There are a couple of things you need to do. First, contact the hospital and make them aware of your financial situation. Ask them what kind of discount they offer to the uninsured, and if available, what you need to do to apply. Also ask them about their charity care policy. There is a chance that you may qualify, depending on the hospital's policies. Did you go to a non-profit hospital? If so, they are obligated to show you their charity care/uninsured policy. If they can't offer you any kind of discount, then you should be able to set up a payment plan.
Secondly, ask for a patient advocate to help you maneuver through the system.
Regardless of where you live, the hospital should have policies to help uninsured patients; the states aren't the ones that offer the medical assistance. However, until you ask, you won't be offered the discounts.
Above all, don't ignore your bill. It will come back and haunt you.
Keep good records of any conversations you have (name, title, phone number, details of what they told you) so that you have proof of your discussions
Good luck!
2007-01-29 22:12:37 · answer #2 · answered by mybabiesRcute 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Years ago (1983) there was a national/state fund called Hill Burton Uncompensated Insurance Act that would cover people with no insurance and who qualified (you had to fill out paper work and list your income and all your expenses) i believe it had something to do with the Govt. allocating money to hospitals for this purpose. I don't know if it is still around but you can ask the Hospital billing/financial aid dept. about it or what plan they do have available. It's not something they openly "tell" patients as they want to get paid. I might be wrong with how the Govt. is involved but it's worth asking about. I just yahoo'd it under Hill Burton Act and there is lots of info.
2007-01-29 22:07:31 · answer #3 · answered by justme 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think what you are looking for is Medicaid. Here is the link for NY state medicaid: http://www.health.state.ny.us/health_care/medicaid/index.htm
It's going to become your full time job to see about getting Medicaid coverage. You have to prove what you earn, what you pay in rent, go for face-to-face meetings, etc.
Just be sure to call the hospital in Massachusetts and let them know you are in the process of applying for medicaid, give them your case workers name and phone number, and don't let them think you are not making arrangements to pay. They will call you day and night and send you endless bills in the mail.
Keep track of who you spoke to and when at both the hospital and at medicaid, because it is very involved. They always want to know who you spoke with last, what date, etc. So keep track of all that.
We had a relative that died with a huge bill and were able to have it taken care of even after the death, it's all do-able if you qualify.
Best of luck to you and take care. Stay well!!
2007-01-29 22:18:44 · answer #4 · answered by wwhrd 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Your best bet is to contact the hospital you stayed at and talk to someone in the medical billing department..
What they will do is fax or send you the assistance papers.. they will reduce your bill according to the salary guidelines..
so basically it will be based on last years wages that you made..and this can be major relief..once the right discounts are taken ( if it is not complety covered ) you can make monthly payments on..
Trust me, they will help you and you will not be paying the 30 thousand..
If you need help understanding the paperwork, contact me through yahoo answers and I can guide you through them..
2007-01-29 22:03:41 · answer #5 · answered by The Chesire Cat 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Contact the hospital you stayed in and ask to speak to a social worker there. Explain your predicament and see if they can put you in touch with either a charity set up for these kinds of things or MA's version of Medicaid.
2007-01-30 09:50:14 · answer #6 · answered by zippythejessi 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
When the hospital billed me for my visit I asked if they had any kind of financial assistance and they sent me a form where if you don't make enough a year you can either get it for free or get discounts.
2007-01-29 22:06:31 · answer #7 · answered by strawberry 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
apply in your state, and call the hospital billing department in MA just to be safe they may have a reduced or free care application they can mail you as well
2007-01-29 22:03:40 · answer #8 · answered by irish eyes 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Get to the Dpt. Of Social Services depending on what borough you live in New York, if you live in the city of New York apply for assistance asap!!!!!!!!
2007-01-29 22:01:04 · answer #9 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
ACCHS (pronounced access). In AZ thats what is used if you can't pay, you have to be low income. The other alternative is bankruptcy.
2007-01-29 22:02:11 · answer #10 · answered by rob602pa 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋