Unfortunately, there are still many people without any health insurance in Texas. Obviously, this is a problem and everyone in Texas needs insurance. The good news is that there are many resources available to help people find the health insurance they need.
The following paragraphs detail some different ways to get health insurance in Texas and alternative ways to get medical help for the uninsured:
There are local clinics in that people without health insurance Texas may be able to visit when they need care. These local clinics provide quality care at a discounted fee. These are great places that treat people without insurance just as well as those who have coverage. Most of the time the fees charged by these clinics is based on the patient’s ability to pay. There are several good online resources available to find more information on these local health clinics in Texas.
People without health insurance in Texas may be able to qualify for special assistance if they are admitted to the hospital. There are many non-profit organizations that provide help with hospital bills to those in need. Since most hospitals are also non-profit organizations, many of them are able to work with you to lower your bill and make payment arrangements that are manageable for your budget.
Some hospitals even have special programs in place to help with financial assistance and a social worker may be on staff to help you. Even the government has programs created to help people without health insurance in Texas. Some of these hospitals even have their own financial aid counselors and advocates there just to help you. They may reduce your bill, help with forms for aid and devise a workable payment solution. Since you don’t have health insurance in Texas, you will have to take extra steps to allow you to pay off the debt.
Prescription drugs can be quite expensive and a large concern if you are without health insurance in Texas, or anywhere else for that matter. You will want to check out the special programs that are designed exclusively to help with prescription drug expenses. You can find more information about these programs online. Of course, by choosing generic drugs whenever possible you may be able to afford the cost on your own.
Living without health insurance in Texas is difficult, but not impossible to overcome. It is possible to get medical attention and prescription drugs at a discounted rate. Even the drug companies themselves, have programs in place to help uninsured people afford their medications. For example, Pfizer and Merck both have programs in place to assist uninsured people in getting their medications.
For veterans without health insurance in Texas, medical help is usually available at a VA hospital. You will need to contact your local Veteran’s Administration office to get more details, but usually veterans who served in active duty and received an honorable or general discharge are eligible for free medical services, at least for urgent problems.
Archive for the ‘Uninsured Hospital Bills’ Category
Shop Around, Savvy Capitalists: Texas Could Save Big On Healthcare
Monday, March 15th, 2010Texans could save up to eighty percent on certain medical bills if they play their cards right, according to several publications released over the past few years. A typical American family of four is expected to receive $14,500 worth of medical care this year, and an insured family will pay an average of over a third of that — $5,100 — on their own. That’s eight percent higher than last year. With out-of-pocket expenses rising at least eight percent every year since 2000, it’s no wonder over 46 million Americans are going without health insurance — including over one-quarter of Texans.
In fact, according to John Holahan, Allison Cook, and Lisa Dubay of the Urban Institute, co-authors of Characteristics of the Uninsured: Who Is Eligible for Public Coverage and Who Needs Help Affording Coverage? released by the Kaiser Family Foundation, fifty-six percent of the uninsured are ineligible for public programs, but still need help to make typical health insurance plans affordable. Seventy-six percent of parents lacking health coverage are in working families, and 900,000 uninsured children are ineligible for public assistance-based coverage due to family income. Finding a way to make health care even slightly more affordable could be the difference in whether or not someone receives care.
According to the Commonwealth Fund, a private, non-partisan foundation supporting independent research on health and social issues, in 2005, thirty percent of the millions in the U.S. who lacked health insurance were between the ages of nineteen and twenty-nine. Texas had the worst record overall, with twenty-five percent of its total population going unprotected. The state actually failed to insure even more of its young adults — twenty-seven percent. Improving this statistic, as well as establishing ways for patients to pay at least part of their expenses, could be especially pertinent for cities like Dallas, Houston, and Austin, where facilities are financially overwhelmed by the uninsured.
Children are more likely to be eligible for public assistance-based coverage than their parents — and therefore more likely to qualify for help with medical expenses. This is because most states set family income limits for minors higher than for their parents. For instance, the majority of states will cover children if their families make 200% of the federal poverty level (though current policies are under dispute) — sometimes more — but many will only insure parents if that income level is at, or below, federal poverty level standards. Only twenty-eight percent of uninsured parents are actually eligible for Medicaid or the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, whereas three-quarters of uninsured children would qualify for those programs under current policies.
A study commissioned by the Kaiser Family Foundation and authored by Jack Hadley of the Urban Institute states that “the uninsured receive less care and have worse outcomes following an accident or onset of a new chronic condition than those with insurance.” This is mostly due to cost. Albeit seemingly somewhat anti-intuitive, an extremely helpful trick is to treat health care costs like any other bill — shop around, bargain, and don’t be afraid to ask for breaks. The following tips are summarized from the Prevention article, “Health care For Less” by Julian Kesner.
(1) Shop Around For Labs
Compare different labs’ prices. Almost any lab can complete a basic blood analysis, for instance, but they won’t all charge the same. To streamline the process, obtain the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code, a universally accepted number that corresponds to every billable medical service, and start asking around. The American Medical Association’s website, www.ama-assn.org, provides a free search engine for CPT codes.
Independent labs are cropping up in response to the high cost of health care, so investigate those, too; some of them charge up to seventy-five percent less than non-independent facilities. The site www.MyMedLab.com, with over 3,000 independent lab listings, is a good source with which to start your research. Just make sure the facilities are legal in your state — sorry residents of California, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island — and check with your doctor to make sure they’re of good caliber.
(2) Negotiate Your Hospital Bills
Here is something most hospitals won’t tell you: very few of their medical bills are paid in full. Insurance companies often negotiate charges and receive discounts — up to two-thirds of the bill — based on their contracts. If they can haggle, why can’t you? Especially if whatever you owe is a financial hardship — be it from deductibles, co-pays, or the full cost of services if uninsured — medical facilities will usually work with patients to make sure a solution is reached.
“The number of payers, including patients and insurance plans, who pay hospitals 100% of our charges is probably less than two percent,” said Ruth Levin, the vice-president for managed care at Continuum Health Partners in New York City.
Financial assistance programs associated with hospitals may also be useful.
(3) Make Sure You Aren’t Tested Twice Or Come In When It’s Not Necessary
According to a recent survey from the Commonwealth Fund, seventeen percent of adults report that their doctors have ordered duplicate tests. This is especially likely when a specialist is involved, as he or she may not have received the results of previous labs. Sign out x-rays and other labs from your primary care office, and bring them along. With the shortage of family doctors in this country, they’re often extremely busy and can’t always be counted on to forward results to another physician. Considering that a co-payment or deductible is almost always involved with lab tests, this could save a bundle.
Also, make sure in-office follow-up visits are necessary. It’s standard procedure to ask a patient to return after the results of a certain test or undergoing particular procedures, but a phone call may suffice. It never hurts to ask.
(4) Be Savvy With Prescription Drugs
Cheaper and generic drugs can cost up to seventy-five percent less. Ask your doctor if a cheaper alternative to your medication is available, or — even better — if there’s a generic version.
“Just be sure your doctor is intimately familiar with the benefits and risks of the alternate drugs for your condition,” warned Jerome P. Kassirer, M.D. and professor at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston.
Shopping for drugs online is becoming increasingly popular, and with due cause. Large distributors often offer lower prices, as well as saving their clients the time and expense of visiting the local drug store. The website, www.Rxaminer.com, offers price comparisons and has a reputation for independence from special interest groups.
Try splitting pills, as well. Prescriptions are often based on the number of units per bottle, not necessarily on the actual dosage. If getting eighty milligram pills, instead of forty, for a refillable prescription and then splitting them in two is more economical, ask your doctor about it. This won’t be appropriate for all medications, of course, but if it is, you’ve just saved fifty percent.
(5) Barter
Hey, doctors need plumbing and massage services, too. If you have a service you feel may be useful to a physician, try bartering. You just never know.
(6) Negotiate With Your Doctor
Hopefully, doctors are in their profession because they’re compassionate. If you can’t make your co-payments and deductibles, ask him or her to work with you on the bill. Offering cash upfront for services may also be fruitful — either in exchange for the full cost of the bill, or for co-payments and deductibles you know you won’t be able to meet. Paying upfront often produces a situation that’s less of a hassle for physicians, anyway, as they will deal with fewer administrative and paperwork issues.
“They are the ones who can direct their billing department to give the patient a break,” said Levin.
(7) Hire An Advocate
Try hiring an advocate to help you deal with financial disputes when all else fails. Companies like Healthcare Advocates, Inc., based in Philadelphia, charges by the case — anywhere from fifty to four hundred dollars. Like it or not, even when you have insurance, you are responsible for whatever bills remain unpaid, and refusing to deal with outstanding balances may ruin your credit. Just make sure the flat-rate charge is worth what you think will be saved by hiring the intermediary.
(8) Get Individual Health Insurance
If you are uninsured, take the time to research an affordable policy that offers reasonable coverage. This may even make sense if you have an individual health insurance policy you are not pleased with due to high cost and/or poor benefits. An individual plan actually may be a better option for you than group health insurance at work, depending on how much your employer pays, and how well your dependents are covered.
Searching online is becoming an increasingly popular option, and often yields results. If you know you can afford something, but just haven’t wanted the hassle of looking, do it anyway! It may save you thousands in the end, as well as your health.
Is Bankruptcy the End of the Road? Legal Advice You Can Use to Climb Out of the Hole
Saturday, March 13th, 2010When the modifications to U.S. Bankruptcy Code made it more difficult for people to declare bankruptcy and have debts forgiven, many consumer rights activists cried foul. The credit industry worked hard to get this passed, and at first blush, it does appear to work against debtors.On the other hand, the changes did debtors a favor in some respects. By making it harder to seek bankruptcy protection, the new laws made it mandatory that those who might not need to declare bankruptcy go through credit counseling and enter a repayment plan if possible. The changes also revealed just how desperate creditors are to keep your debts from being written off completely. Armed with that knowledge, there are ways to avoid bankruptcy and right your personal financial ship.Pennies on the DollarEveryone has seen or heard ads for law firms or other agencies that will work with creditors and settle your debts for virtually nothing. This can happen, but there are some caveats. One is that many such agencies are not reliable or trustworthy. If they are full-fledged law firms, they will have some oversight from the state supreme court’s disciplinary counsel, as well as the local bar association. Even so, be wary and investigate before signing on with anyone.Further, these agencies collect your money for a time without paying your creditors. Your accounts will get further behind while you pay them, knocking your credit score down nearly as much as a bankruptcy would. If you are struggling to make ends meet but paying on time or nearly so, this is a fairly unpalatable option.Finally, to the extent that these agencies do help, you may be able to do the same for yourself. While some creditors are more willing than others to settle for lower dollar amounts, any of them would rather take something than nothing. Thus, if you are already that far behind, you might try saving yourself some fees that would be charged by the agencies by negotiating for yourself.Credit CounselingAn adage that has been unfairly applied to lawyers is true in the area of credit counselors; 99 percent of them give the rest a bad name. Class action suits against these groups abound, and internet message boards are full of angry stories. A good credit counseling agency can help immensely.The way such agencies work is to work out a payment plan with you based on what you can afford. They then apply it to paying off your creditors based on preset rate reductions. They are funded by the credit industry, which is a major turn off for some people. However, the credit industry pays them to do something that helps the consumer; they help you pay your accounts off, at a lower interest rate than you might get otherwise.Again, many of these agencies are unreliable, paying late or not at all. Many creditors, upon your telling them you plan to work through a credit counseling agency, will try to talk you out of it for this reason. When they do, listen. You may be able to work out a better deal for yourself than the agency could. The creditors want to be paid to the extent possible; they have no incentive to ruin your credit by forcing you into bankruptcy.If you do decide to go through a credit counselor, investigate first. Is the agency accredited? What complaints against them have been filed with the Better Business Bureau and how have they been resolved? Find a place you can trust.ConclusionThere are ways to avoid bankruptcy in most cases. If you have lost everything with uninsured hospital bills, that is one thing. Being behind on your bills and overextended on credit need not push most people over that edge. Creditors want you solvent so they can collect something; you want yourself solvent so you can obtain credit again someday. The U.S. government wants you solvent so you can contribute to the economy. Look into your options and you will learn that you can usually find your way out of the bankruptcy hole before you hit bottom.
Healthcare Reform – Rep. Anh “Joseph” Cao, Republican Vote for Bill
Thursday, March 11th, 2010Healthcare reform just passed in the House of Representatives over the weekend. It was expected that most Democrats would vote for it, and that virtually all Republicans would oppose it. That prediction turned out to be mostly accurate, but the biggest surprise of the night was the one Republican who crossed party lines to vote in favor of the healthcare reform bill. Louisiana Representative Anh “Joseph” Cao’s vote was largely up for grabs. While the first-term legislator has been relatively nondescript and has voted with the rest of his party on most other issues, his district is heavily Democratic. Cynics would paint his support for health insurance plan reform as an attempt to increase his chances of re-election; however, Cao claims that it was the best choice for his poor constituents, a large population of which are uninsured. He has also pushed for greater funding of hospitals, as well as the ongoing Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts. The bill probably wouldn’t have passed without Cao’s vote, since the Democrats barely reached the needed 218 votes to pass the historic reform. It didn’t help that 39 Democrats defied Speaker Nancy Pelosi to oppose healthcare reform. He also gives the proposals a veneer of bipartisanship. Although Cao waited until the bill had already passed to cast his votes, Minority Whip Eric Cantor’s efforts to steer Cao back into line failed. So how did this key vote come to be? Cao jumped on board at the last minute, after the House agreed to add an amendment that strengthened the healthcare reform proposal’s ban on funding abortion. The original language prevented health insurance subsidies (used by lower-income individuals and families to buy plans on the exchange market that will be established) from being specifically used to pay for abortion services. That provision wasn’t strong enough for some pro-life Democrats like Bart Stupak, who wanted to amend the bill. House leaders did not want their amendment to reach the floor, but anti-abortion Cao helped spark the compromise yesterday by calling the White House himself and pledging his support for reform if it was included. After some wrangling, their amendment passed by 240 to 194. The version of the bill that was passed forbids people from using government subsidies to buy any health insurance plan that includes abortion coverage, except for when there is rape, incest, or danger to the mother’s life. The addition of the amendment allowed the devout Jesuit to vote “yes”. Cao’s vote in favor of healthcare reform may have torpedoed his political aspirations. He has alienated Republicans nationwide by bucking the trend of rejecting the bill. On the other hand, his views in general are unlikely to appeal to voters in a district where Obama received three-quarters of the vote in last year’s presidential election–a larger percentage of Democratic party is pro-choice, and many are unhappy with the bill despite being in favor of universal health care. He is unlikely to receive much financial banking from either national party or their bases, although Republicans are chalking his shocking vote up to his being from a “tough district” with a larger than normal percentage of people without a health insurance plan. Cao’s victory was largely a fluke; he won a hurricane-delayed election in December against an opponent infamously charged with hiding cash in his freezer (Democrat William Jefferson). Still, it’s nice to see a politician following his conscience. Now, the healthcare reform bill will move on to the Senate. The future of the ban on abortion coverage in the public option (as well as subsidized private health insurance plans) that swayed Cao is unclear. Both sides are gearing up for a heavy debate over the issue. Will Cao regret his vote if the Senate ends up weakening the restrictions?
Hospital partnership in jeopardy
Wednesday, March 10th, 2010A proposed health care alliance among Coffee Health Group, Helen Keller Hospital and Huntsville Hospital is in jeopardy because officials cannot agree on a key component of the deal.Officials at the three hospital groups say they are not giving up on the proposal but add Huntsville Hospital’s decision not to provide $60 million to the project makes it more challenging.In December, Coffee and Keller presented Huntsville Hospital with a proposal that would require a $60 million investment by Huntsville Hospital, a component area officials say is needed to help Coffee manage its debt. Huntsville’s board has rejected that sum and countered with a lesser amount.”It’s been a bit of a roller coaster over the last six months when I felt like it wouldn’t get done and then felt like it would,” said Bill Anderson, Keller’s chief executive officer. “I’m not totally pessimistic, but I’m not overly optimistic. I’m in the middle. It could happen, but in reality, it may not. I’m just not ready to say we’re going to walk away.”Keller, Coffee and Huntsville have been working toward an alliance since September, with the ultimate goal of forming a merger between Coffee and Keller. Hospital officials see the merger as a way for the Shoals to maintain control of health care instead of allowing that control to fall into private hands.Several private interests have contacted Coffee officials about working with them to take over ownership of their properties or forming a partnership. Coffee operates Eliza Coffee Memorial Hospital and ECM East, both in Florence, and Shoals Hospital in Muscle Shoals.Talks among Coffee, Keller and Huntsville have revolved primarily around how to eliminate Coffee’s $140 million debt and move forward with improved health care for the Shoals.The bulk of Coffee’s debt, around $120 million, comes from the 1999 purchase of three hospitals: Shoals, Russellville and Humana hospitals. Russellville has since been sold, and Humana has become ECM East.The debt is insured by MBIA, and so far, Coffee has met its bond payments, but there is a question about its ability to continue to do so with the rising cost of health care, the increased number of uninsured patients and falling reimbursements from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.At MBIA’s request, Coffee hired FTI, a consultant group, to help formulate a plan to move forward. Additionally, Shattuck-Hammond, a financial advisory firm from Atlanta, has been retained by Coffee and is marketing the health care organization to potential buyers. These discussions are taking place separately from talks with Huntsville and Keller.Jody Pigg, Coffee’s interim CEO, said he could not comment on the specifics on discussions involving Shattuck-Hammond since all parties have signed confidentiality agreements.He has said, however, that he is “pleased with the quality and quantity with regard to the level of interest shown by potential investors. Those who have expressed an interest see the Shoals as an opportunity to enhance and strengthen the medical services offered in the community.”Pigg said he expects a conclusion to the talks by the end of the first quarter of the year, or March 31.One of the interested parties is RegionalCare Hospital Partners, a private hospital firm based in Brentwood, Tenn. At least two other organizations also have emerged as frontrunners in the discussions – IASIS, of Franklin, Tenn., and Legacy Hospital Partners, based in Plano, Texas.Legacy has expressed interest in Coffee in the past. In December 2008, representatives from the company made an informal proposal to then-CEO Carl Bailey, but Coffee’s board took no action at the time.Details of the deals from all three haven’t been made public, but one common theme that emerges from each is that it would mean Coffee would shift from a not-for-profit, community-based hospital to one that is private.David Spillers, Huntsville’s CEO, said he would hate to see Coffee become a private hospital “but, if there’s someone willing to pay $140 million to get them out of debt, we’re not, so they’d have to sell to them.”Like Anderson, Spiller said he remains hopeful, but not as optimistic as he was that a deal could be reached among the three entities.”As best I can tell, a lot is going on with the leadership and board and bond council for Coffee, and they’re having a hard time trying to figure out a way to refinance the debt,” he said. “When you put a hospital like that up for sale, there will be a lot who take a look at it, but how many will come up with the dollars to pay for it at the end of the day?”It’s the debt that seems to be the sticking point, Anderson said.”We’ve said all along we want to get rid of Coffee’s debt to get MBIA out of the picture and find a way to move forward that’s financially viable,” he said. “I still think our best long-term solution is to put our organizations together under local control with a local board.”The question is whether that can be done by March 31.In addition to Huntsville’s monetary commitment, there has been talk of involving loans from a local bank as well as from the Retirement Systems of Alabama to make up the difference. Those were all components in the proposal to Huntsville Hospital.It’s unclear how much money Huntsville Hospital offered in its counterproposal.Barring the deal materializing with Huntsville and Keller, there may be no choice but for Coffee to become a private health care facility.In November, Keller’s board passed a resolution reaffirming its commitment to remaining a community-based, nonprofit health care provider for the Shoals.Spillers said there’s an affiliation agreement between the organizations “that would provide access to shared services to reduce overhead costs, such as purchasing and maintenance, laundry and things like that. It wouldn’t involve clinical care as that would stay local, but it would help reduce (Keller’s) overhead cost to better compete with a for-profit.”Some local doctors have indicated a desire to see Coffee move to a for-profit organization since that could afford greater opportunities for improved health care and the potential for a new hospital.Should Coffee become part of a private company, it could change the competitive landscape in the Shoals.”The irony is that we’ve had a long history of not competing with the not-for-profit systems, but we’d compete pretty heavily with a for-profit system,” Spillers said. “We’d be more aggressive than we have in the past because I think (for-profit hospitals) take money out of the state and send it to shareholders elsewhere.”
ID Theft 2.0: Surge of Unemployed, Uninsured Give Rise to Health Insurance Fraud
Monday, March 8th, 2010It all started with credit cards.
Remembering your PIN number in the check-out line was that industry’s Hail Mary Pass to cut losses from fraudulent purchases back in the mid-80s. Fingerprint and retinal scans were developed by the FBI about the same time to keep us out of secure areas and to keep our prying eyes off top-secret documents.
Now, fast forward about 20 or so years. Throw in a dismal economy, mix in thousands of suddenly uninsured Americans and you’ve got the makings of an apparently unforeseen black hole of security that could threaten the future of affordable healthcare and the efforts of Congress to reform it.
A woman in New York City faces up to seven years in prison on charges she recently forged more than 50 insurance claims that submitted them to her health insurance company for reimbursement. Meanwhile in Miami, a medical clinic for senior patients was raided after investigators discovered a front desk clerk sharing 1,100 Medicare IDs and patient information with her family members. One of her cousins allegedly made off with $2.8 million in fraudulent refunds for services never rendered.
“As more people are not getting the health care they need, we’re seeing an increasing incidence of medical identity fraud,” tells Michigan-based attorney Norbert Kugele to the New York Times. “Someone will show up at a hospital with someone else’s insurance information and will seek treatment under their name.”
Pulling a Fast One
It’s almost like the industry never saw it coming. Of course, Medicare fraud has been going on for years and the Feds have been battling it with great intensity, by their own admission, with mixed success. But security experts warn high profile health insurance fraud cases are only going to grow and there may be no end to creative tactics the perpetrators may use to bilk an already handicapped health system.
President Obama claims the healthcare reform bill being considered by Congress will provide a safety net to prevent illegal immigrants from obtaining health care under the “Public Option.” Just how this will happen is anybody’s guess. Many citizens who relocated to America without proper documentation have been receiving public benefits and/or employment opportunities for years without much scrutiny by business owners or infiltration by state and local governments — so much so that the Feds figure in fraud when making all kinds of budgetary projections to Congress.
Medical identity theft occurs when criminals obtain information such as a health insurance identification or Social Security number and use it to get health care or to obtain reimbursement from insurers and others for false claims. That means your medical history and health care records can include someone else’s information.
Aside from the obvious health concerns that go along with adopting someone else’s health profile, — imagine an ID thief at the doctor’s office, presenting a health insurance ID from a patient who, unbeknownst to the thief, is diabetic, allergic to certain medication or receiving chemotherapy — there are other huge expenses that could undercut any savings that the Obama administration projects would be saved by reform in its current form.
“Hospitals and insurance companies face enormous expenses when it comes to medical identity theft, as they are forced to write-off charges incurred by the thieves,” recently wrote Bankrate reporter Amy Crane. “But its victims find that the financial aspects of this type of identity theft are the easiest to deal with.”
What You Can Do
- Your insurance card, your life. Security experts think we too often assume that our insurance card is no more valuable than our frequent shopper card or our gym membership. Protect your insurance information as you would your credit card, driver license or other personal asset.
- Give your medical records a check-up. Audit your health insurance and medical records annually, as you would your personal credit report. It’s not only o.k. to ask your doctor for your medical records, it’s protected under federal law to do so. If you see anything that look suspicious, call your insurance company right away.
- Go paperless. Not only is it environmentally friendly, opting into paperless health insurance benefit and billing statements is a good way to prevent your personal health information from slipping into the wrong hands.
Federal health care bills exclude 1 million California immigrants
Sunday, March 7th, 2010No matter what health care bill emerges from Congress, roughly one in six uninsured Californians will be excluded because they are not legal residents.President Barack Obama still refers to the plan as “comprehensive health insurance reform,” although essentially none of its provisions are likely to be available to an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants, a group that typically receives no insurance at work and lacks the means to buy it on their own, advocates say.That means an estimated tens of thousands living in San Diego and Riverside counties will remain without insurance — whether the Senate ultimately passes a bill and no matter how generous the subsidies for the poor or punitive the penalties for those who refuse.”It will be out of the reach of many Americans. … That is not comprehensive,” said Jennifer Ng’andu, deputy director of the Health Policy Project at the National Council of La Raza.San Diego County alone may have 150,000 illegal immigrants who receive millions of dollars worth of health care —- paid for by taxpayers —- in local emergency rooms, according to various estimates.Excluding them has been a political flashpoint, with many conservatives arguing that providing more health care for people who are not legally in the country is both unaffordable and unfair.”It shouldn’t encourage future immigration or help out those who are here illegally now,” said Dustin Carnevale, a spokesman for the Federation of American Immigrant Reform, a Washington-based group that advocates restricted immigration.FAIR estimates that U.S. taxpayers already spend $11 billion a year on health care for illegal immigrants, and that the cost would rise to $30 billion if they are offered the same subsidies as citizens in the health care bill.Such concerns have prompted some Democrats with a long record of supporting immigrant rights, including President Obama, to go out of their way to point out that they are not included in the legislation.However, their exclusion may have some unintended consequences.It means that a pool consisting of millions of potential customers who are typically younger and healthier than the general population will be kept out of the insurance exchanges. If illegal immigrants were allowed to enter the exchanges and receive health insurance, it would “reduce health care costs” for other participants, Ng’andu said.Still using the ERIllegal immigrants will continue to use emergency rooms, which cannot turn away patients based on their immigration status, as their first line of medical treatment, a practice that cost California hospitals an estimated $1.2 billion last year, according to the state Department of Health Services.And it may provide an added incentive for some employers to hire illegal immigrants rather than citizens in order to avoid new requirements that they provide health insurance to their workers, making it even more difficult for Americans to find jobs.Nearly 7 million California residents lack health insurance. Of that number, more than 1 million are not legal residents, according the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.Even the millions of illegal immigrants across the country who do buy insurance would be barred under the Senate health bill from qualifying for the most affordable rates.”Disease and illnesses do not discriminate based on immigration status,” Rep. Mike Honda, D-San Jose, and several other Democrats wrote in an open letter to congressional leaders, seeking to have such provisions eliminated. “It is not rational to exclude individuals who are willing and able to share in the responsibility of paying into the system. There are also public health implications when a large portion of the U.S. population has severely limited access to health care coverage.”Yet a misconception persists that the measures will spend billions on illegal immigrants, wielded by critics as a reason to reject the bill.It was anger over that issue that prompted Rep. Joe Wilson, R-South Carolina to howl: “You lie!” at Obama as he addressed a joint session of Congress earlier this fall.However, both bills —- the one passed by the House earlier this month and the one currently before the Senate —- explicitly exclude illegal immigrants from receiving benefits.Senate bill most exclusiveBoth bills forbid anyone without legal immigration status from receiving government subsidies, which are intended for people who are too poor to buy their own insurance. The Senate bill goes further, saying that they cannot participate in the measure’s insurance exchanges. That means that even illegal immigrants who buy their own insurance will not be able to purchase the least expensive policies.”Undocumented immigrants are going to be hit two ways —- they won’t have papers to be here and (they) will be uninsured because even if they have the money to pay, they are not allowed to,” said Steven Wallace, assistant director of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.That clause has prompted the greatest outcry from immigrant defenders in Congress, who point out that without insurance, the tab for immigrant care will continue to fall on taxpayers.”They’re going to go to the emergency rooms. They won’t have insurance. The costs will be shifted to the rest of us and to taxpayers. We should encourage our undocumented population to buy insurance with their own money,” said Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colo., on the House floor earlier this month.Yet with the measure’s outcome resting on the votes of a handful of Democrats from swing states and districts, any changes to the immigration clauses are likely to make the bills even more restrictive.House compels coverageIn a further burden for some immigrants, the House bill requires residents to buy insurance regardless of their immigration status. However, it does not permit for government subsidies to those who are in the U.S. illegally.That means that some immigrants deemed as residents under IRS rules —- those who have been in the U.S. for 31 days of the current year and a total of 183 in the last three years —- must buy insurance even though they will receive no help in purchasing it.Some Republicans have pushed for tighter verification procedures in the health care bill to make certain that people who do not qualify for the government subsidies do not receive them. Conservatives contend that illegal immigrants will use fake documents to get coverage and that it will provide a new lure to come to the U.S.Others reject stricter verification procedures for fear it will drive away legitimate users who do not have drivers’ licenses, passports or easy access to birth certificates. Ng’andu estimated there are as many as 13 million citizens who lack such identification.”Efforts to exclude unauthorized immigrants and efforts to tighten verification make barriers for citizens to gain insurance,” said Marc Rosenblum, a senior policy analyst of the nonpartisan Migration Policy Institute
Aetna Health Insurance Provides a Financial Safety Net for the Uninsured
Friday, March 5th, 2010There are millions of people living in the United States without health insurance. Mainly because it is expensive but also many people don’t realize that they need health insurance until its too late and they are already financially in over their heads. Living in the United States without health insurance can be extremely dangerous both physically as well as financially for both families and individuals. The reason why it is so physically dangerous for families and individuals to live without health insurance is because more often than not people will postpone doctor’s appointments, x-rays, and yearly check ups because they do not have health insurance. This can be very dangerous because it is during these yearly doctor’s appointments where people are screened for serious ailments and sicknesses like cancer. Without many of these types of appointments people may not be screened for serious sicknesses that need immediate treatment. Also, people who do not have health insurance are more likely to avoid going to the doctors if they are sick because the cost of the trip to the doctor’s office can be extremely high for someone who is uninsured. This means that often an individual will go to work or continue on with their life while they are sick until the sickness gets so serious that they have to go to the doctor. This often can cause a life-threatening situation for people who do not go to the doctor who are seriously ill. The reason why it is financially dangerous for people to not have health insurance is because of the costs of medical bills without insurance. The biggest problem of this is that most people who do not have health insurance do not realize how expensive these costs really are until it is too late. For even small injuries such as broken bones the costs can really pile up and cause huge financial problems for people, and that is only for minor injuries. The costs of a serious car accident where only one person is injured can cost thousands and thousands of dollars in medical bills, ambulance bills, the cost to stay in the hospital (remember some accidents require a long hospital stay) as well as rehabilitation and physical therapy after the accident. These costs alone can cause a person to have to file for bankruptcy as a way out of the financial burdens that are caused by an injury for someone who doesn’t have insurance. One of the ways to find affordable health insurance is to search online or contact local health insurance providers to try to get some affordable quotes. One of the most affordable companies around is Aetna Health Insurance. Aetna health insurance is offered in most states and is one of the most affordable companies around. Individual and families can both be covered by Aetna Health Insurance and tend to be very happy with the results.
Medicaid Hospitals
Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010As state governments around the country work to restructure their public health insurance system, the lingering effects upon medical facilities from Medicaid hospital remunerations has become one of the most pressing issues affecting the larger system of coverage.Specifically, with so little funding available at the moment after social institutions have seen the demand for services skyrocket at the same time that the monetary resources have dwindled all around the United States, there have been questions raised about how best to spend what’s already budgeted for Medicaid: hospital expenses (primarily, the emergency room costs of uninsured patients) or direct stipends to qualified Medicaid recipients who could then figure out their own health care providers.
For decades, Medicaid hospitals have proven to be crucial elements of the larger welfare system ensuring the health care of our poorer citizens or those Americans otherwise unable to furnish their own form of insurance. From diagnostic capabilities to trauma centers, Medicaid hospitals are also among the proudest achievements of urban municipalities within the United States.However, as the fundamental monetary support which keeps the modern Medicaid hospital infrastructure humming along has slowly been transformed, governmental resources have become a greater and greater percentage of the overall funding for the Medicaid hospital, and, at this point in medical history, many of the Medicaid hospital financial plans could not hope to exist without the continued good graces of state and federal money intended to aid the impoverished patients. Absent the unceasing flow of governmental subsidies, many a Medicaid hospital would be forced to shutter its doors.
On the other hand, though, any Medicaid hospital that agrees to work with the government billing cycles or private health care company officially sanctioned to act on the behalf of the program may feature significant problems as a result of the de facto partnership.According to the reports from knowledgeable and experienced professionals in several different states where this appears to be a problem, Medicaid hospital clerks expect to have to wait twice as long when remitting bills for services rendered through governmental systems as with any independent insurance provider, and, for this reason, not every facility shall be willing to take on this sort of clientèle and become a Medicaid hospital.This problem has grown only worse over the past decade as newly mercenary hospital administrators chose to avoid fund dispersal through governmental receipts altogether, and fewer and fewer doctors agreed to bill the state office for payments or join up with Medicaid hospital programs.
Even if the average Medicaid hospital would be able to maintain operations without the untampered income stream given out by the state and national health coverage machine, the facility would hardly be able to boast the same quality of care nor the same commitment to providing the latest in medical technology and research potential. Yet, so long as the Medicaid hospital system of remuneration lags far behind that of private health care providers, the Medicaid hospital shall also be at a competitive disadvantage compared to those facilities which choose to ignore the demands of the poorest state residents.This dichotomy has become a serious problem that’s only going to grow worse over the coming years until the United States figures out some coherent solution to the national health care crisis, and some of our finest and most beloved Medicaid hospital institutions may end up disappearing before a workable answer has been found.
