Donna M. Christensen
We are in the midst of a national crisis that affects the lives of over 100 million Americans, including New Jerseyans. 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 New Jerseyans can use to keep out-of-pocket health care costs low and avoid health care debt. Key tips are avoiding cumbersome health insurance plans and policies, asking the right questions about charity care options, and knowing your consumer rights if you get stuck with 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 for every dollar of premium paid, and out-of-pocket costs can add up quickly with these plans.
But it’s not just poor planning that leads to large out-of-pocket and medical bills. High deductibles (the amount your insurance is responsible for before it covers treatment), high copays (the amount your insurance has to pay for treatment), and high co-insurance (percentage of costs covered) ) rise in health insurance plans. Services that pay even after the deductible) means that insured New Jerseyans seeking care are often left with large bills they can’t pay.
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.
While 14 states have banned copayment accumulation, lawmakers in New Jersey 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 of these hospitals are eligible for charity care. You don’t really let the patient know that there is a possibility. To make matters worse, 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 with the New Jersey Department of Health.
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 one in five Americans reports having received a surprise medical bill since the law went into effect. If you received a surprise medical bill this year that you believe violated the No Surprise Act, visit her website at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to learn 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 information is shared by New Jersey citizens by sharing the information they need to make the right 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. Born in Teaneck, New Jersey, Christensen is the first female physician in the history of the United States Congress.
