Mahaska Health provides medically necessary healthcare to all patients, regardless of their ability to pay. This includes but is not limited to; patients with insurance, those who are under-insured, or those without insurance who have exhausted all other payment sources (e.g. state assistance, county relief, Medicaid, etc.). Financial assistance discounts may be applied to all applicable patient balance amounts.
Eligibility:
Financial assistance will be considered for patients who are unable to pay for their healthcare, based on financial need. Financial assistance for medically necessary services is available on a sliding scale of up to 90% of charges.
Past due patient balances previously placed in collections (listed with Hauge) shall not be eligible for financial assistance discounts
If suitable payment arrangements and/or monthly payments are not made in a timely manner to resolve the outstanding balance remaining after the financial assistance discount is applied, the financial assistance discount may be revoked, and the balance(s) may be reviewed for collections.
Definitions:
- Eligibility: Eligibility will be determined on a household size and income basis, utilizing the most recently published HHS Poverty Guidelines in effect at the time services are rendered. Applicants are responsible to provide the required household size and income information necessary for a timely determination to be made.
- Family: Using the Census Bureau definition, a group of two or more people who reside together and who are related by birth, marriage, or adoption. According to Internal Revenue Service rules, if the patient claims someone as a dependent on their income tax return, they may be considered a dependent for purposes of the provision of financial assistance.
- Family Income: Family Income is determined using the Census Bureau definition, which uses the following income when computing federal poverty guidelines:
- Includes earnings, unemployment compensation, worker’s compensation, Social Security, Supplemental Security Income, public assistance, veteran’s payments, survivor benefits, pension or retirement income, interest, dividends, rents, royalties, income from estates, trusts, educational assistance, alimony, child support, assistance from outside the household, and other miscellaneous sources; Non-cash benefits (such as food stamps and housing subsidies) do not count;
- Determined on a before-tax basis;
- Excludes capital gains or losses; and
- If a person lives with a family, it includes the income of all family members (non-relatives, such as roommates, do not count).
- Other resources, such as savings or checking accounts.
- Qualifying Period: Financial assistance discounts shall only apply to previous, current and future guarantor patient account balances within the calendar year of the approved application. For example, if a patient becomes eligible for financial assistance in September of a given calendar year, financial assistance shall apply to all encounters within that year back to January 1st and up to December 31st. In order to continue to receive financial assistance past 12 months from the date of the approved application, the guarantor must reapply and submit up-dated household and income information each new calendar year.
- Financial Assistance applications will be reviewed once per year. Additional applications will be considered only if there is a life-changing event as outlined below:
- Loss or addition of household member (e.g., death, birth, adoption, marriage)
- Loss of income (e.g., loss or change of job, long-term disability)
- Significant change in income (e.g., change from full-time to part-time employment)
- Financial Assistance applications will be reviewed once per year. Additional applications will be considered only if there is a life-changing event as outlined below: