Non-profit US healthcare

[Michelle]

The health care industry has a large non-profit contingent within it. From the outside, and even the inside, of a hospital, you might not notice the difference but many hospitals are run as non-profit organizations which are either charitable, educational or both. Beyond hospitals, there are a number of other non-profit medical and public health programs which serve communities and medical specialties, and strive to bring health care to those who cannot afford it.

http://org.enom.com/nonprofit-organization-healthcare-363.html

http://www.nonprofit...itHospitals.pdf

[Kowalski]

There is one clinic, that my Ob-Gyn is at, and they have a program, where women can get a well woman check up, and a mammogram, and they don't have to pay anything. There are also programs to help people get medications if they can't afford it....A lot of people don't know this, but most hospitals have to give out 30% charity care....

One estimate put the cost of uncompensated care for 2004 at $41 billion, of which $34.6 billion was funded through a patchwork of government programs. Over half of all government reimbursement for uncompensated care comes from the federal government; most of that is provided through Medicare and Medicaid.

Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charity_care

[Michelle]

Doctors in general have to donate a certain percent of their services to uninsured patients. It's called Project Access.

It really gets irritating when people constantly say the poor don't have access to free health care in the US. It is far from the truth and they are simply parroting rumors that they haven't bothered to look into.

Edited October 24, 2013 by Michelle

[Kowalski]

Doctors in general have to donate a certain percent of their services to uninsured patients. It's called Project Access.

It really gets irritating when people constantly say the poor don't have access to free health care in the US. It is far from the truth and they are simply parroting rumors that they haven't bothered to look into.

I agree, with you....There are many programs available for the poor and uninsured. Just because someone is uninsured does not mean they don't have access to healthcare.....I have a friend who is uninsured (like me), and she has to take some expensive medications for psychological issues, and there are these centers, called, MHMR, and she gets to see a psychologists and get her prescriptions for free.....

There are a lot of clinics that do sliding scale payments, where you take in a copy of your tax return, and you pay them according to the bracket you fall under....a lot of times, you only have to end up paying $30 or so....

Edited October 24, 2013 by Kowalski

[Michelle]

The National Uninsured Resource Directory is

intended to help uninsured individuals and families

get connected with valuable resources. Patient

Advocate Foundation (PAF) hopes that patients will

ultimately feel more empowered when navigating

the complex healthcare system and obtain the

access to healthcare or health coverage they need.

http://www.patientadvocate.org/requests/publications/National-Uninsured-Resource.pdf

[Gromdor]

Pity all hospitals aren't non-profit. Wouldn't need Obamacare it they were.

[Sir Wearer of Hats]

Pity all hospitals aren't non-profit. Wouldn't need Obamacare it they were.

from what I hear, most people who work in hosptials would prefer it that way - at least you never have to pander to private medical firms jacking up the bills with unnecessary proceedures (like x-raying a person's entire body to see what's wrong with one shoulder).

[Gromdor]

Unfortunately, taking what you need and paying what you can is the very definition of socialism. Especially coupling that with the doctors donating a portion of their time for free for the better good of all. So, I don't see the trend taking off here in the U.S.

[+and-then]

Doctors in general have to donate a certain percent of their services to uninsured patients. It's called Project Access.

It really gets irritating when people constantly say the poor don't have access to free health care in the US. It is far from the truth and they are simply parroting rumors that they haven't bothered to look into.

The sad irony here is that when this program is fully in place, EVERYONE (except the truly wealthy) will have a lessened standard of care. And the poor will be hit as well. They will have a lot more competition for the ER. Begs the question - if this law was designed to remove the need for all those uncompensated ER visits and the poor continue to go there anyway... what happens?

[ninjadude]

Pity all hospitals aren't non-profit. Wouldn't need Obamacare it they were.

non-profit does not mean free. The ACA would still be needed.

[+and-then]

non-profit does not mean free. The ACA would still be needed.

I've heard some snippets that many are turning to Medicaid enrollment so they can pay NOTHING. IF that is accurate then how is this plan supposed to ever work? Also, the young, healthy people who were to carry the load financially seem unwilling to play along and are opting for the fines. Serious question: Will fines carry this program? It seems to me that if the majority actually have decided that they don't want this then it simply CANNOT succeed. The only good I see coming from this thing long term is that people will finally be ready for SOME change. Where before it was just unthinkable and undoable politically, now they would accept something at least LESS disastrous than Obycare.

[Yamato]

Getting people signed up on Medicaid is definitely another unintended consequence of Obamacare.

[lightly]

I've heard some snippets that many are turning to Medicaid enrollment so they can pay NOTHING. IF that is accurate then how is this plan supposed to ever work? Also, the young, healthy people who were to carry the load financially seem unwilling to play along and are opting for the fines. Serious question: Will fines carry this program? It seems to me that if the majority actually have decided that they don't want this then it simply CANNOT succeed. The only good I see coming from this thing long term is that people will finally be ready for SOME change. Where before it was just unthinkable and undoable politically, now they would accept something at least LESS disastrous than Obycare.

Only those who "qualify" for Medicaid? ... (poor enough)

[ninjadude]

I've heard some snippets that many are turning to Medicaid enrollment so they can pay NOTHING. IF that is accurate

there is a long way to go before 30-40 million are signed up. You're complaining about rumor and nothing.

. Serious question: Will fines carry this program?

no. as has been shown here on UM many times now, the fine has no significant impact on ACA funding.

[+DieChecker]

Aren't a lot of the Non-Profit hospitals Religious in nature? Hasn't Obamacare already ticked off the Catholics with its demands about Abortion? I'd be surprised if Catholic hospitals were eager for Medicare patients now.

[Kowalski]

Aren't a lot of the Non-Profit hospitals Religious in nature? Hasn't Obamacare already ticked off the Catholics with its demands about Abortion? I'd be surprised if Catholic hospitals were eager for Medicare patients now.

Some are....Most tend to be County type Hospitals and Community Clinics, there's one in every town here, where I live, and at least one MHMR which is a mental health facility that helps people get their pyschological medicaions for free, and these are funded through the government.....

BTW, the show "ER" was set in Cook County Hospital, which was a County Hospital.... thought that would be an interesting tid bit to add...

Edited October 27, 2013 by Kowalski

[+DieChecker]

I know that many clinics are non-profit, but I thought we were talking Hospitals, that have full services.

I see you went back to Kowalski....

[+and-then]

I worked as a MRI technologist for a non profit in south Alabama for several years. Great place to work and we often heard the administrators say: Just because we're a "not for profit" doesn't mean we want to LOSE money!