Let’s talk medical costs!
ICYMI, as of July 1, the Charity Care Law in WA State has been updated to include many more households in eligibility for financial assistance for out-of-pocket medical costs.
Half of WA State residents (about 4M people!) are now eligible for free or discounted hospital care.
Read below to learn about the law, the new changes, and see how you might be impacted.
The Charity Care Law of 1989 was designed to require that hospitals offer financial assistance to low-income individuals for their out-of-pocket hospital costs.
In the old law, individuals within 200% of the federal poverty level (approx. $27K/Single Household and $55K/Family of Four annual income) were eligible.
While we can all agree that medical costs have increased since 1989, this is an equity issue as well.
Data shows that communities of color are disproportionately underinsured, and especially vulnerable to catastrophic and unexpected medical expenses.According to 2019 data from the Federal Reserve, one in five individuals in majority nonwhite zip codes have at least one medical debt in collections on their credit report.
The new changes to The Charity Law include the following:
All Washingtonians within 300% of the federal poverty level now qualify for their full out-of-pocket hospital bill, as long as situation is considered “medically necessary.” Those within 400% of the federal poverty level are eligible for discounted care, which is up to about $54K/Single Household or $111K Family of Four annual income, depending on the hospital (two types exist: Tier 1 and Tier 2, depending on the size, have different criteria).
What if you have health insurance, you ask? Still eligible!
Charity Care helps to cover your out-of-pocket costs such as deductibles, co-pays, emergency room visits etc. whether you have public, private coverage, or are uninsured. What if you’re on Medicare, Medicaid or Social Security benefits? Still eligible!
Think you might qualify?
Calculate your own percentage of the Federal Poverty Lever here https://home.mycoverageplan.com/fpl.html
FYI: individuals can even apply retroactively for Charity Care for past medical bills, as long as they meet the qualifications.
For more information about the Charity Care Law updates, and how you can apply for coverage, visit the WA State Hospital Association https://www.wsha.org/for-patients/financial-assistance/washingtons-charity-care-law/.
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