North Carolina, Charlotte – Going to the doctor or hospital without having health insurance, or even having one, depending on the coverage, could result in a bill in excess of four figures, which for many people would be almost impossible to pay.
Medical bills can be confusing, overwhelming, and often arrive when you are already distressed.
It can be difficult to understand what you owe, to whom, and when to pay.
It may also appear that they are pressuring the person to pay amounts they cannot pay or do not owe to protect their credit.
Medical bills, to collections
According to recent data from the Urban Institute, at the end of 2020 more than a third of the state's population was placed in collections for medical debt.
According to the report, 21% of people in the state have medical debt in legal collection, of which 19% are white and 26% are from communities of color.
You can view the report here
There is help
But what many don't know is that if you don't have health insurance, and are facing medical or hospital debt, state health systems offer medical assistance.
Health systems such as Novant Health or Atrium Health offer financial assistance programs for low-income patients who do not have health insurance and regardless of immigration status.
Novant Health may pay up to 100% of the bill medical
Novant Health offers financial assistance to patients who meet eligibility requirements under its Charity Care Policy program.
Eligible individuals may qualify to receive 100% discount or free care under the program.
The financial assistance application is available in English and several languages, including Spanish.
To fill out the application, you must follow the instructions on the form and submit it by mail once it has been completed.
Here You can find information about the Charity Care Policy.
The application in Spanish can be found by following this link.
Atrium Health offers several help options
For its part, Atrium Health offers three different financial assistance programs for its patients in the states of North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.
1.Through its Coverage Assistance and Financial Assistance Program (CAFA), patients who are without Health Insurance may be eligible for assistance if the account balance is greater than or equal to $10,000.
2.With the Financial Assistance Scoring Program (FAS), uninsured, low-income patients who have received services at their hospitals or medical services, resulting in a balance of less than $10,000, can apply for debt relief. debt.
3.The health system also offers the Hardship Settlement Discount, which is designed to help patients who have had a catastrophic medical event, regardless of their insurance coverage, that resulted in very high medical bills compared to their financial resources.
Hardship Discounts
Patients who have incurred debt after all insurance or third-party payments that is greater than $2,500 and represents 10% of their household's total financial resources may be eligible for a hardship discount. .
Patients seeking a hardship settlement discount should inquire about this program by calling customer service at: 704-512-7171 after receiving their first statement.
To apply for the other programs, or have more information, you can go to the following link: https://atriumhealth.org/for-patients-visitors/financial-assistance
Patients can also contact Atrium by phone at: 704-512-7171.
Medical debts
If you have a medical bill that you cannot pay, or if you have health insurance, but the excess that must be paid is high, you can find information on “Medical Debt” provided by the “Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy” at: https://charlottelegaladvocacy.org/tag/medical-debt/
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