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Frequently Asked Questions
By Consumers About Receiving Hill-Burton Free or Low
Cost Medical Care*
- What services are covered under the Hill-Burton program?
- Can I receive Hill-Burton assistance to cover my Medicare
deductible and coinsurance amounts or Medicaid co-pay and spenddown amounts?
- Who can receive free medical care?
- What does income include?
- When can I apply for Hill-Burton assistance?
- Is United States citizenship required for Hill-Burton eligibility?
- Can I apply for Hill-Burton assistance on behalf of an uninsured
relative or friend?
- Do I have to wait until I am sick before I can apply for Hill-Burton
assistance?
- What are some reasons I could be denied Hill-Burton care?
- What other service obligation does a Hill-Burton facility
have?
- How do I apply for free care?
- How can I find out which facilities in my area are Hill-Burton
facilities?
- 1. What services are covered under the Hill-Burton
program?
- Each facility chooses which services it will provide at no or reduced
cost. The covered services are specified in a notice which is published by
the facility and also in a notice provided to all persons seeking services
in the facility. Services fully covered by a third-party insurance or a government
program (e.g., Medicare and Medicaid) are not eligible for Hill-Burton coverage.
However, Hill-Burton may cover services not covered by the government programs.
Private pharmacy and private physician fees are not covered by this program.
However, services provided by physicians hired by the facility may be covered
under the Hill-Burton program if included in the published notice (Allocation
Plan).
- 2. Can I receive Hill-Burton assistance to cover
my Medicare deductible and coinsurance amounts or Medicaid co-pay and spenddown
amounts?
- Medicare deductible and coinsurance amounts are not eligible under the
program. However, Medicaid co-payment amounts are eligible, except in a long-term
care facility. In addition, Medicaid spenddown amounts (the liability a patient
must incur before being eligible for Medicaid) are eligible in all Hill-Burton
facilities.
Where can I get Hill-Burton free or low cost medical care?
At a Hill-Burton facility. Check the Directory listing. The facilities included
are hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, etc. Apply at the Admissions, Business
or Patient Accounts Office.
- 3. Who can receive free medical care?
- Eligibility is based on a person's family size and income. Income is calculated
based on your actual income for the last 12 months or your last 3 month's
income times 4, whichever is less. You may qualify if your income falls within
the poverty guidelines, as published in the Federal Register every year.
You may also qualify for free or reduced cost care at some facilities if
your income is up to double (or triple for nursing home services) the poverty
guidelines.
- 4. What does income include?
- Gross income (before taxes), interest/dividends earned, and child support
payments are examples of income. Assets, food stamps, gifts, loans or one-time
insurance payments are examples of items not included as income when considering
eligibility. For self-employed people, income is determined after deductions
for business expenses. For more specific information, see the poverty guidelines.
- 5. When can I apply for Hill-Burton assistance?
- You may apply for Hill-Burton assistance at any time, before or after
you receive care. You may even apply after a bill has been sent to a collection
agency. If a hospital obtains a court judgment before you applied for Hill-Burton
assistance, the solution must be worked out within the judicial system. However,
if you applied for Hill-Burton before a judgment was rendered and are found
eligible, you will receive Hill-Burton even if a judgment was rendered while
you were waiting for a response to your application.
- 6. Is United States citizenship required for Hill-Burton
eligibility?
- No. However, in order for a person to have a Hill-Burton eligibility determination
made, he must have lived in the U. S. for at least 3 months.
- 7. Can I apply for Hill-Burton assistance on behalf
of an uninsured relative or friend?
- Yes. You can apply for Hill-Burton assistance on behalf of any patient
for whom you can provide the information required to establish eligibility,
i.e., you must be able to provide information regarding the patient's family
size and income.
- 8. Do I have to wait until I am sick before I can
apply for Hill-Burton assistance?
- Hill-Burton is not health insurance. In order to apply for Hill-Burton
assistance you must have already received services or know that you will
require a specific service in the near future.
- 9. What are some reasons I could be denied Hill-Burton
care?
- The facility may deny your request if:
• for non-nursing homes, your income is more than the current poverty guidelines,
or more than twice the guidelines if specified in the facility's allocation plan.
For nursing home services, your income is more than the poverty guidelines, or
double or triple the guidelines, if specified in the facility's allocation plan
• the facility has given out its required amount of free care as specified
in its allocation plan
• the services you requested or received are not covered in the facility's
allocation plan
• the services you requested or received are to be paid by Medicare/Medicaid,
insurance or other financial assistance program
• the facility asks you to first apply for Medicaid/Medicare or a financial
assistance program, and you do not cooperate
• you do not give the facility requested proof of your income, such as
a pay stub.
- 10. What other service obligation does a Hill-Burton
facility have?
- Under the community service assurance, Hill-Burton facilities are responsible
for providing emergency treatment and for treating all persons residing in
the service area, regardless of race, color, national origin, creed or Medicare
or Medicaid status. This assurance is in effect for the life of the facility.
If you feel you were unfairly denied services or discriminated against you
should contact the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at 1-800-368-1019.
- 11. How do I apply for free care?
- You should contact the Admissions, Business or Patient Accounts Office
at a Hill-Burton obligated facility to find out if you qualify for assistance
and whether or not a facility provides the specific services needed.
- 12. How can I find out which facilities in my
area are Hill-Burton facilities?
- Check our Directory listing for your State. Be aware that although a facility
may be listed in the Directory, you still need to call the facility to be
certain that it still has funds available and that the service you desire
would be covered.
*Source US Department of Health and Human Services/ HRSA Health
Resources and Human administration.
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