We all know that there are many million Americans without health insurance. So what happens when these people need to obtain health care?   All medical facilities have certain policies and guidelines they are supposed to follow for providing care to uninsured patients. These policies differ between the three types of institutions: public, for-profit, and not-for-profit. A recent study was released in the August issue of Medical Care. The study was sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Veterans Administration. The study examined how these three types of medical facilities handled providing care to uninsured patients. They reviewed hospital financial reports, surveys from nearly 300 self-pay patients, and from the self-pay policies and procedures in place at each facility.

Interestingly, the study found that many medical centers do not even follow their own guidelines for providing care to uninsured patients. In general, public institutions are the most open to uninsured patients. Approximately 13 percent of patients who visit public facilities are uninsured. However, these institutions are extremely committed to obtaining payment from these patients, and are actually quite successful at collecting at least some of the charges (they collected 67 percent).

For-profit institutions really only see uninsured patients in the emergency department. However, they really have no choice, since federal regulations require them to care for patients in these emergency situations. Only 6 percent of their patients are uninsured. In contrast to public institutions, for-profit facilities don’t really focus on collecting all the charges incurred by uninsured patients.

Not-for-profit facilities are more likely to accept uninsured patients than for-profit institutions, but they still are not the best option for the uninsured. Most visits with the uninsured occur in the emergency department, and they are diligent about receiving payment for the services provided.

The moral of the story: For the uninsured, health care is not just expensive, it’s also pretty unpredictable. It has become evident that hospitals and facilities do not always follow the proper guidelines when dealing with self-pay situations, and they are not always willing to provide the care that is needed. Having an adequate health insurance plan is vital to your health and well-being; it will not only protect you from excessive medical debts, but it will also provide you the opportunity for quality care, guaranteed.

Be Sociable, Share!

•