Community hospitals in New Hampshire are trying to level the playing field for uninsured patients by offering them a 15% discount on medically necessary hospital charges. The new Hospital Access Plus program, in which 25 community hospitals are participating voluntarily, reduces the higher hospital bills uninsured patients often pay because they don’t benefit from lower rates that insurance companies negotiate.
“Our hospitals agree that the current system of billing in health care is outdated,” said Mike Hill, president of the New Hampshire Hospital Association, to which the participating hospitals belong. The 15% discount is automatically applied to all accounts that do not meet criteria for federal, state, or community-based financial assistance. Physician professional services during hospitalization and charges from other providers for nonhospital services are not included in the discount program. Read the press release.
