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April
LVHHN Offers Free Financial Counseling to Assist the Community During Cover the Uninsured WeekLehigh Valley, Pa. (April 27, 2006) – Maxine Rhode of Allentown is trying to help a homeless, pregnant girl find a place to stay. It’s not easy, but she convinces a couple at her church who take in foster children to accept the girl. All she has to do is give them an old crib she used for her grandchildren.Maxine is a financial counselor for Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network (LVHHN), and she feels obligated to help patients that come to her any way she can. Most times that help involves screening them to see if they qualify for a discount on their medical bills, or for free care and trying to help them receive medical assistance and other care. Sometimes it’s about going that extra mile for the patients that really need help. “I just couldn’t put this girl, who was about to have this baby, out on the street again,” Rhode says. “It wasn’t part of my job, but I help people who don’t have health insurance any way I can.” Nearly 46 million Americans live without health insurance, and are just one serious illness or injury away from having their entire life savings wiped out, and the problem is getting worse. “As a community hospital, we have an obligation to help people and provide them with the best healthcare possible, regardless of their ability to pay,” Rhode says. “No one is turned away at the door.” LVHHN counselors work with patients by offering options to help them pay their bills, including help with Medical Assistance applications, reduced or discounted care by up to 70 percent, and possibly even free care. Despite their best efforts, some still struggle to make these payments. Last year, LVHHN provided $4.8 million in charity care, and $11 million in care was provided to patients who either ignored or refused to pay their medical bills. Many of these patients would have qualified for financial assistance, but failed to apply. “If a person tells us they have no insurance, they fill out an application for Medical Assistance, and if that doesn’t cover their medical bills they could get up to a 70 percent discount on their bills, or even qualify for free care,” Rhode says. “But they need to call first. We don’t know that they can’t pay their bills until we hear from them. They have to take the first step.” Rhode says a lot of people don’t know that this type of assistance is available. For this reason, LVHHN is taking part in Cover the Uninsured Week beginning Monday, May 1. Cover the Uninsured week is a national effort sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to mobilize thousands of individuals and organizations to plan activities to tell Congress that health care coverage must be their top priority. “It also will give us a chance to let people know that we can help them with their medical expenses, and they won’t have to slog through filling out Medical Assistance applications by themselves,” Rhode says. “We will try to help anybody who asks for it, any way we can.” LVHHN will have financial counselors and customer service representatives available to speak with people about medical bills, or other concerns they have about getting health insurance at the following locations and times for one-on-one sessions: The Caring Place, 931 W Hamilton St. (fourth floor) May 2-4 – 1-3 p.m. Casa Guadalupe Community Center, 143 Linden St. (basement) May 2-4 – 1-3 p.m. Sixth Street Shelter, 219 North Sixth St. (conference room) May 3 – 3-5 p.m. Lehigh Valley Hospital—Muhlenberg, Conference Room A May 2 – 10 a.m. to noon Lehigh Valley Hospital—17th and Chew, Center for Healthy Aging May 3 – 10 a.m. to noon Lehigh Valley Hospital—Cedar Crest & I-78, Jaindl Lobby-Upper Level May 4 – 10 a.m. to noon Private rooms for consultation with financial counselors will be provided at the LVHHN hospital campuses to ensure privacy about your concerns. Spanish language interpreters also will be provided. Based in Allentown and Bethlehem, Pa., Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network comprises Lehigh Valley Hospital–Cedar Crest & I-78, Lehigh Valley Hospital–17th and Chew streets, Lehigh Valley Hospital–Muhlenberg and Lehigh Valley Health Services, which includes home health, hospice, pharmacy and health management. Advanced regional resources at these non-profit hospitals include a Level I Trauma Center with added pediatric qualifications, as well as burn, kidney and pancreas transplant, perinatal/neonatal, cardiac, cancer care, neurology and complex neurosurgery. LVHHN hospitals are designated national Magnet hospitals for excellence in nursing. Additional information is available at www.lvh.org on the Internet. This page last updated 2/19/08 09:37 PM
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