Charity Care: State health program many don't know about
Not long after Tony Potter's husband, Charlie, was diagnosed with cancer, they received a letter from the hospital.
“It said that we owe too much money, and they we can`t treat you as a patient anymore,” said Potter. “And his pain is just getting worse and worse and worse.”
Potter never knew Charlie qualified for Charity Care. Hospitals in Washington State are required to provide Charity Care to patients who fall below a certain income level. But it remains a mystery to many who do qualify.
“If they would have told me years ago that there was Charity Care, I wouldn`t have gone bankrupt,” said Joelle Craft, who suffers from Multiple Sclerosis.
“I`ve skipped medical visits and my neurologist has yelled at me, but I want food on my table for my kids.”
Xochitl Mayovich, with the advocacy group, Washington Community Action Network, said, “Whether it's intentional or not, there are barriers that hospitals put up to low-income communities to getting Charity Care.”
Mayovich points to the applications for Charity Care, which vary from place to place, and some, she says, can be nearly impossible to fill out. She also says many hospitals don't follow the law and notify patients about the availability of Charity Care.
A bill that would rectify those problems failed to make it out of committee in the state legislature this session. It is expected to be re-admitted next session.
Marie Kay Clunies-Ross, a spokesperson for The Washington State Hospital Association says the organization is already considering changes to make sure Charity Care is easier to access.
“Changing Charity Care has not been on our forefront in the past, but it is definitely something we are now thinking about,” said Clunies-Ross.
Charlie was given a dire diagnosis, but Tony Potter believes if they could have accessed Charity Care, he would have lived longer than 6 more months, and in a lot less pain.
She is now dedicating her life to changing the law, and helping more people uncover what she learned too late.
“Ultimately I think I went through what I went through so I could help other people. And those other people do not need to go through what I went through.”