Hospitals Providing Low Cost Healthcare

It is the season of giving and hospitals in at least two states are getting into the spirit and getting charitable with pilot programs providing free healthcare. Hospitals in New York and Denver have been offering free services to the uninsured and under-insured in their states. Hospital administrators realize that people without health insurance will often delay seeking care until a condition becomes so acute that they require treatment in an Emergency Room. By State Law Emergency Rooms have to provide treatment to people of limited income and limited or no health insurance. By providing the free services such as preventive screenings and educational information, the hospitals actually save money. While it is no substitute to providing access to affordable health insurance, and many states including New York and Denver are actively pursuing programs that will provide affordable medical coverage to its citizens, the programs provide people with access to no cost or low cost healthcare, and at the same time save hospitals and tax payers money.

Under the programs hospitals in the two states will send people to state run or community clinics for treatment of chronic conditions such as diabetes or asthma. They also offer uninsured or people with minimal health insurance educational programs, and other preventive initiatives like pre-natal care. It has been estimated that for every dollar a hospital spends on preventive medicine for the uninsured they actually save seven dollars. Maine and Vermont are following the lead taken by New York and Denver, and Massachusetts, one of the States to recently mandate affordable health insurance for all of its citizens is also expanding charitable programs at area hospitals. While access to affordable healthcare is growing, it is still recommended that you do not rely on such programs and shop for affordable health insurance. You can obtain a free quote on health insurance online for you and your family. Simply spend a few moments putting in some information, and you may be surprised at how much cheaper individual health insurance has become.

As the hospital charitable programs continue to prove successful, advocates are hoping to see many more states nationwide adopt the practice. Insurance companies too are trying to close the gap for people without affordable health insurance. United Heath the largest provider of medical coverage in the country recently introduced an experimental program to provide cheaper health insurance plans for working people who have no coverage. The affordable health insurance plans are called "Belay" - a term that comes form rock-climbing that refers to the rope wrapped around a climber to prevent a fall. Similarly these affordable healthcare plans are designed to prevent working Americans from falling into financial ruin due to high medical bills. The low cost medical plans have low monthly premiums, cover major medical emergencies, and include coverage for preventive care.