MINNEAPOLIS, Oct. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Allina Hospitals & Clinics today announced an additional uninsured discount program to cover medically necessary hospital services.
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“We are constantly looking at ways to provide care for those who cannot afford it on their own,” said Dick Pettingill, president and CEO, Allina Hospitals & Clinics. “While Minnesota has one of the lowest percentages of uninsured patients in the country, it is still a significant number. At Allina, we believe finances should not get in the way of receiving necessary health care. Providing resources to this population is an important part of being a community leader.”
Since 2001, Allina has offered free care to patients whose annual incomes are below 275 percent of the federal poverty level. Under Allina’s new uninsured discount program, discounts are now provided to uninsured patients above 275 percent of the federal poverty level for medically necessary hospital services. Services that are not medically necessary, such as cosmetic surgery and Lasik eye surgery are not eligible for the discount program.
Allina Hospitals & Clinics Uninsured Discount Program
Medically necessary hospital services will be made available to uninsured patients based on their income or assets as a percentage of the Federal Poverty Levels. (FPL)
1. Patients whose gross income is at or below 275 percent of the FPL are eligible to receive care at no cost. 2. Patients whose gross income is above 275 percent but not more than 350 percent of the FPL will receive a 50 percent discount from the amount charged. 3. Patients whose gross income is above 350 percent but not more than 400 percent of FPL. 4. Patients above 400 percent of the FPL will receive a 20 percent discount from the amount charged.
As examples, an uninsured family of four whose annual income is $51,838 or less may receive care at no charge. An uninsured family of four whose annual income is $65,975 or less may receive a 50 percent discount on their charges. Patients can visit Allina.com to learn more about eligibility criteria.
In addition to Allina’s uninsured discount program, Allina proactively works with patients to ensure they are aware of how to apply for county, state and federal financial assistance programs they may be qualified to receive.
“Often, patients are not aware of, or do not understand the assistance programs that may be available to them,” said Bob Hewitt, manager, Patient Advocacy. “Our team works with patients respectfully and has developed positive heartfelt relationships with many of our patients and their families.”
According to Hewitt, Allina also provides financial assistance on a case- by-case basis for those who have depleted their insurance benefits and/or whose income or assets exceed financial eligibility criteria but face extraordinary medical costs.
“This is an important step in providing support for the thousands of uninsured in Minnesota,” said David Orbuch, executive vice president, Compliance & Public Policy. “This is a short-term fix, merely a bandage on a national health care problem that needs to be addressed at the congressional level. We’ve made the first step, and we’ll be happy to share our policies with other health care systems who are working towards the same goal.”
Allina’s uninsured discount program covers only medically necessary hospital services and should not be used as a substitute for employer- sponsored, public, or individually purchased insurance. The uninsured discount program does not apply to professional services provided by physicians, physician assistants, or nurse practitioners. Those services are usually provided by individuals not employed by the hospital, and are billed separately.
As the state’s largest health care provider, Allina Hospitals & Clinics began looking at ways to augment its financial assistance services for uninsured patients in 2003. In February, 2004, Health & Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson assured hospitals nationwide there are no regulations prohibiting health care providers from offering discounts or uncompensated care for uninsured or low-income patients. That gave Allina the green light to adopt its sliding scale discount program.” Allina then began looking at its sliding scale discount program for improvements.
More information about all the financial assistance services offered by Allina are available at http://www.allina.com/ .
Minneapolis-based Allina Hospitals & Clinics is a not-for-profit, health care organization serving communities throughout Minnesota and Western Wisconsin. Allina owns and operates 11 hospitals, 42 clinics, hospice services, pharmacies, home oxygen and medical equipment, and emergency medical transportation services. Allina Hospitals & Clinics can be found online at http://allina.com/ and the latest health information is at http://medformation.com/ .
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CONTACT: Terri Dresen for Allina Hospitals & Clinics, +1-651-241-8517 orPager, +1-612-654-0975