I’m Canadian. And I’m already sorry for asking an ignorant question.
I know you have to pay for hospital visits in the states. I know lower economic status can come with lower access to birth control and sex education. But then, how do they afford to give birth? Do people ever avoid hospital visits because they don’t feel like they can’t afford it?
Do hospitals put people on a payment plan? Is it possible to give birth and not pay if you don’t have the means? How does it work in the states?
How does it all work?
Again. Canadian. And sorry.
As far as I know, Hospitals are not allowed to refuse you care; no matter what your finances are, they have to help you. Many people would go to ER for non-ER reasons because it was/is the only way for them to get treatment. (Because other medical centers can refuse you.)
The hospitals will try to get the money from you however they can and they do offer payment plans based on income. Ultimately, though, due many? The debt gets discharged to a debt collection agency that harasses you incessantly for 7 years until it gets discharged from your record.
It destroys your credit (an arbitrary number that every citizen has that supposedly shows how trustworthy they are and how much they are likely to pay you if you loan them money) until it drops off after the statute of limitations (7-10 years, depending on the state).
Unless you enter through the ER, a healthcare system can deny you.
Also, the ACA requires hospitals have a charity care program and notify people about it (often buried pages deep in your discharge papers). If you qualify, they’ll write off your debt and count it towards their “charity care,” which helps them justify their non-profit status, when applicable. The ACA has no rules about what charity care looks like and the hospital can set whatever criteria they want (some may have charity for those under 100% FPL, others higher).
Source: I’m in a masters program studying this
From my post: “Many people would go to the ER for non-ER reasons because it was the only way to get treatment when you didn’t have the money to pay”
Seems pretty obvious that I meant the ER…
You distinguished between medical centers and hospitals, while most practices are hospital-owned now. It just sounded like you didn’t quite know that, sorry.
Perhaps I could have included a list of other places as an example that can refuse you for financial reasons. It would have helped for people not familiar with the system…